White Nights: Summer Solstice
by BLSUGS30
Summary: “…you’re a Hyuuga.“ He was bent on killing her entire clan. The entire school was a dichotomy of Hyuuga versus Uchiha. Once in a year, night never fell. Once in a year, bodies fell. And she decided to stay. SasuHina
1. Untimely transfer

"The White Nights describes the few weeks around the summer solstice during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. The sun does not set until late at night, and twilight lasts much longer."

* * *

In the dimly lit quarters of the Hyuuga residence, morning was always a time reserved for the taciturn—breakfast chats were close to nonexistent foreign family rituals.

However, today was an exception.

"What do you mean Hinata's going to transfer here? "

The oldest of the children, Hyuuga Neji abruptly stood up from the breakfast table, knocking over his chair in his haste. The rest of the family were still asleep, and it was a good thing that the walls were all completely sound-proof, or the clattering smash of heavy rose wood against mahogany would have woken everyone up. His father merely eyed the newspaper as he took yet another sip of tea. He spoke after a few pregnant pauses.

"Neji, calm down. Take the rational approach. Her parents are getting a divorce, and things just have happened to end messily. Hanabi's taken care of, but Hinata's a different issue. She's our blood, and we can't turn her to a Home or just abandon her in some distant relatives' houses, not when we're available. I couldn't turn this down. "

Neji chose to ignore his father's explanation, staring down coldly at his barely touched breakfast. Turning over another page of the newspaper, Hiashi added for measure:

"Besides, she's only going to stay a few semesters while things blow over. "

"…semesters. "

Neji whispered hollowly, his already pale skin turning even paler at the thought.

"Yes, semesters. We can manage that. We've hid things from her before, whenever she and Hanabi came here for vacation period. We should be able to handle this reasonably. "

"Rationally you mean. "

Neji sneered, utilizing the word that his father used often. Hiashi finally looked up from the page he had been scrutinizing and gave his oldest son a warning look. Neji backed down, but with a scowl.

"Hiding this from her for vacation period was hard enough… how are we going to keep it all from her for almost a year? "

Hiashi shrugged almost indifferently, making Neji want to hurl something at the ancient vintage furniture surrounding him—or better yet, hurl the furniture itself.

He rigidly set the chair upright again and turning curtly, proceeded to walk towards the direction of the stairs.

"She comes here tomorrow. "

Hiashi called to him from behind, choosing to be passive. Neji stiffened in response.

"She can't know. We can't let her know. "

* * *

**White Nights: Summer Solstice**

**Chapter 1- Leviathan**

_**(Session#1- Untimely transfer)**_

* * *

It was the hostility in its essence that triggered Hinata's internal warning sirens.

She had known from the start that it wouldn't be easy being the newbie at a completely different high school, especially in the middle of the year.

But something was wrong with this school.

"Hello, you must be Hyuuga…Hinata. "

The meaningful pause after the name Hyuuga, and the scrutinizing look the school secretary threw upon her gave her more reasons to think so. Something was wrong. Noone knew her here, and yet everyone responded to her family name in a way that made her wonder if her beloved cousin's family might be a source of consequence here in Konoha.

"Here, I'll show you to your class—all your classes, until you get used to it. "

Neji was as helpful and sweet as ever, but in the harsh fluorescent lights of school, he looked tense, edgy. Somehow less approachable. It made her wonder if he was slightly peeved at the fact that she was going to live in his house for almost a year.

Well, it wasn't her fault, Hinata thought, biting her lips. She did not 'ask' to be dumped here. She tried not to think of it; a few moments more of that, and tears would blur her sight.

"Here's your homeroom—I'll be waiting out here when break time comes, so I can escort you to your next class. "

As much as she did not want to, Hinata blushed up at this offer. He did not need to be so kind, not when he didn't seem to even care about her presence. She did not wish to further enhance his hidden irritation.

"No, no…it…it's okay. I can manage. I think. "

She peeked up at him—he was at least a foot taller than her—and to her surprise, found him smiling down at her in hardly concealed amusement.

"Come on Hinata, you lose your way even in our house, and you've been visiting regularly for over 5 years. I can't bear to think what would happen if I let you lose in this maze of a school. What if I have to make an announcement over the school's intercom, claiming that I was missing a Hyuuga Hinata, long black hair, lavender eyes, about this tall and with no sense of direction? "

This was more like the Neji she remembered, and she was grateful for it. Grateful at her cousin for making the effort.

"I'm not that bad! No, really, I can manage Neji, I…"

"Trust me. I have my own reasons. "

He suddenly turned serious. Hinata was visibly shaken by the sudden change in his features, the way his merry eyes suddenly dulled with a steely sheen. He had lavender eyes too, but it was nothing like hers. His had more charisma, and a certain magnetism.

"O…okay, I…I'll meet you out here. In…break time, I mean. "

Neji smiled again, his mood unpredictable. He noted her increased stammering, and lightly mussed her hair in a familiar gesture, his subtle way of telling her to relax. Flicking up a hand in farewell, he walked away, merging into the crowd of students that were populating the acid green halls.

Hinata stared after him in a daze, unsure again of his mood. She still couldn't decide whether or not he disliked her, or was just feeling confused over her sudden arrival.

Curse her parents, why did they have to get a divorce now?

* * *

"Oi, Neji! "

A rusty headed boy ran up to Neji in large graceful strides, his tall lean form cutting through the throngs of huddled students. He skidded to a stop, almost knocking over a short freshman boy in his eagerness to talk.

Kankuro peered into Neji's eyes as soon as he got in front. He seemed hardly ruffled by the short run.

He spoke in a low tone.

"I heard. "

Playing dumb, Neji stared coolly into his friend's face.

"Heard what? "

"Your family. They decided to take in the cousin girl now, haven't they? "

Neji shrugged, although his insides were boiling over in acute anger again. No, not exactly anger, but exasperation. So Kankuro already knew. How many more did know?

Did the Uchihas know?

"Yeah they have. Actually, she's already here. She's got Iruka for her homeroom teacher. "

Neji snickered at the reaction that got; Kankuro's eyes widened in shock and his neck jerked. Then he regained composure as he urgently whispered:

"Don't let her know anything… I can't let her know. Help me. Please. "

* * *

The classroom was only half-filled when Hinata entered, a bit apprehensively if not entirely bowled over by anxiety. She was bad at dealing with new situations, she disliked even novelty. She especially disliked the fact that she would have to make new friends in a place that was probably crawling over with cliques that had been formed in kindergarten.

A small, isolated town like this, you'd never know.

"Hey, you're… Hyuuga, aren't you?

A girl reached out and patted her arm in a friendly fashion.

That pause again. It made Hinata's fear return, the one that made her feel like it was something of a big matter to be part of the Hyuugas. The only thing was that she wasn't sure if it was a good thing or bad. At least the girl seemed friendly.

"Y…yes. Yes, I'm Hyuuga Hinata. "

Hinata managed to stammer out. While she did, she examined the girl.

Black hair clasped eccentrically into two oriental inspired buns. A slightly impish look. Freshly manicured hand—baby blue.

Hinata decided the girl was no pariah, perhaps even a little popular. Maybe being a Hyuuga wasn't so bad if girls like this reached out to her first before even knowing about her. In her other school, the kids that reached out to the newbies were usually overly friendly—translating into friendless—groping needy types with a bad haircut.

Not in this case.

"And … it's no coincidence that you have the 'exact' same family name as Hyuuga Neji, the school's 'basketball team captain' junior? "

She hadn't known that Neji played basketball. Or that he was captain.

But by the way the girl pronounced Neji's name, Hinata could gouge the fact that her cousin brother was certainly a somebody here. She did not know how much, but it seemed so. She spoke with a touch more confidence:

"We…we're family. I'm his cousin. We're relatives. "

The girl giggled impishly—her laugh matched her face.

"Your cousin brother's a babe, you know that? "

Hinata blushed up instantly.

To have an almost-outsider so blatantly comment on your cousin's attractiveness; it was almost as embarrassing as having someone complimenting you outright. The girl's eyes crinkled at seeing the blush.

"Don't you agree? Well, I mean, you're family so maybe I shouldn't be saying this, but it's true. "

"M…ye…yes. I agree. "

"I'm Tenten. On the tennis team and debate. Nice to meet you. "

Hinata wondered in relief if she'd already made a friend in this Tenten girl as she shook the offered hand. Or she wondered if this was all a ruse for the girl to make a play at Neji. Should she warn him about this?

"Oh shoot, Iruka sensei's here and I was supposed to do role call… be right back. "

Giving her another pat on the arm, the Tenten girl sauntered off to explain something to the teacher that had just walked in, Iruka sensei as she called him. He was medium height with a ponytail, and an easy comforting smile. The only thing that bothered Hinata was the jagged slash across his face, the kind of scars that leaves a definite mark. Maybe he had a tough childhood. Or maybe he had an accident.

The strange fear returned in vengeance though, at the scar, and she could not concentrate at all in class, which was trig. Even the teacher's announcing of her new transfer student status felt disoriented and surreal, as if it never happened. She could feel the electric snap that ran through the room when he announced her name, 'Hyuuga' Hinata. And the half-smiles or strange challenging looks she received from her fellow peers after that.

Something just 'felt' wrong.

* * *

"Hinata, you look terrible. "

That was the first Neji said as soon as he saw her. He had a can of cherry coke in his hand, and offered it to her. She received it numbly, but with some pleasance, flattered that he remembered that it was her favorite drink.

So he was being nice again.

"Did Iruka and the kids scare you or something? Taunting the poor newbie girl? "

"N…no! It's not like that. "

Hinata giggled despite her confusion and somehow upset feelings. She inwardly thrashed herself; maybe she was taking this too hard. Making a mountain out of a molehill. Nothing was wrong with this school, it was just her nerves.

She quickly spurted out the next words in a rush, in a slightly jokey tone tainted only by the stammers.

"So… I di…didn't know you were a b…basketball captain. "

He cringed at that, holding both of his hands up as if he'd done something wrong.

"I'm no good at it, I swear. "

"B…but you're captain! "

He looked down at her without moving his head and cracked a grin.

"Alright, I'm awesome at it. "

Neji was back to being Neji alright, Hinata thought in relief. No sign of the agitated edgy teen she had seen back a period ago.

He suddenly swooped down and snatched the files from her upturned hands, and picked out her schedule from the binder. Eyeing it with a slight frown, he spoke lightly:

"You got Lit next… that's treat for you. It's Hatake Kakashi, and he supposedly the only teacher the girls' would love to bang, or so they say. Eye candy. Something like that. "

Hinata flushed red again. Okay, that would probably translate to, 'he's pretty good looking'. Neji could have just 'said', instead of making that lewd comment. He seemed pretty amused though, by all her blushing.

He had as pale a skin as she had—it ran in the family—but he never blushed.

Or he did, but he never felt embarrassed about anything. Whichever the reason, he never turned red.

"Come on here, I'll take you to Hatake sensei…and you can tell me later whether or not you feel like having him or not. "

"Neji! "

"Joking, I'm just messing with ya. You know me. "

Yes she knew him. For now, she did.

* * *

"Hey, you're in this class too! "

Tenten rushed up to her as soon as she entered the classroom.

Hinata smiled at her, relieved to have at least one person she knew in this class. Whether or not Tenten only wanted Neji, she was a bubbly friendly girl. That was enough for now, never mind the 'true' friendship she craved.

"Too bad we've got assigned seats… I'd have loved to sit next to you and hear stuff about the cities. Konoha boring you yet? "

"H…how did you know I came from the cities? "

Tenten smiled secretively.

"I have my sources… oops, teacher's here. But I bet he don't even have to assign you anything, the only empty seat in this class is the one in the back, right beside…"

The sentence trailed off as Tenten pointed towards the back seat. The girl's face suddenly changed, stiffened more like. Her eyes widened in sudden epiphany and she went pale for a split second. Her lips pursed, Tenten shook her head slightly, trying to make light of the situation.

"Oh, maybe he does have to assign you a seat…it's so far in the back, you can't take decent notes…hm? You don't have a bad eye sight? Well…yeah, but I mean, it's time we got different seats. I tell you, it gets so boring sitting next to the same person the entire friggin' year… yeah. Maybe I'll go tell him. "

Hinata had a hunch something was up. And she wanted to find out what it all was about.

"Oh…n, no. It's okay. I don't want to be too much trouble… I, I think I like back seats. "

Without giving Tenten and chance to answer, Hinata walked swiftly over to the seat Tenten had pointed to and dumped her binder and files on the table. Her partner had not arrived yet, and the seat was empty.

Tenten was next to her in a flash.

"Oh um. On second thought, Hinata? Why not sit in my seat! Yeah! Uh… I've got Lee for a partner, and he's extremely funny…like, really really… He can get you acquainted! I'll trade seats for you. "

It was almost like an order, and Hinata was wary of it. But she was so used to people pushing her around that she was about to do as Tenten told her to, but the teacher intervened.

"Sit down Tenten, class has started. "

Tenten eyed the teacher nervously, then turned reluctantly to sit down at her own seat. Hinata's partner still hasn't arrived.

Kakashi sensei, Hinata had to admit, was ridiculously good-looking. He was teaching lit, but he really should be going out and modeling on runway… or something. He was surprisingly lean for someone with a vocation that lacked physical work, and was tall enough to switch on the projector that hung on the ceiling without having to stand on tip-toes. He had a shock of premature silver hair—she could not decide if it was natural or dyed—and a relaxed sort of charisma; a kind of person that did not have to raise his voice to settle a class down.

And he had a scar. A jagged line that slashed through his eye.

Hinata stiffened involuntarily.

What was with the teachers? Either they all were 'wild' when they were young, or they were prone to accidents. Or something else.

"Take out your books and open them up to page 45. Not the blue book Lee, I meant critical reading. "

"Wait, it's CR today? I thought we were going to do Gatsby Shame! "

"That was last semester, if I should inform you Lee. "

The class snickered, and the boy called Lee mock-lamented, pulling a funny face. Hinata smiled along, but was actually anxious about the fact that her partner 'still' had not arrived. She disliked having to go on with the class alone; even if she did not know who she was sitting with, it would be nice to have at least someone.

"Alright, enough laughing. Settle down, we have a full schedule tod…"

There was suddenly a knock on the door. Not knocks, but just a curt rap. But it somehow grabbed the attention of the entire class. Kakashi sensei wearily eyed the door.

"Come in. "

The classroom door opened, and in walked in a boy, impassive face and all. He seemed to be at ease with being late for class. Kakashi sensei sighed.

"Late again, Sasuke. Family issues? "

"Yes. Sorry. I won't be late next time. "

The boy called Sasuke answered back politely enough, but Hinata could already see that he was someone to be wary of. She already caught on that much from reading the eyes of her classroom peers. Tenten anxiously turned around once more with a worried look.

"Go take your seat then. And take out your book. "

"Yes, sensei. "

It was his presence.

It took up the entire class once he strolled in, save only by the teacher's presence in the front. But even with Kakashi sensei standing up front, it was hard to take her eyes off the boy.

Raven hair that spiked out in the back, and cold steely onyx eyes. His eyes were the kind of eyes that suggested it stayed flat always—it would never get merry. And he was only a tad smaller than the teacher; still tall enough to intimidate her. Hinata wondered if he was taller or shorter than Neji.

By this all, she should have been intimidated, and she was in a way, but she still couldn't get over his face. It was appealing, despite the hard eyes.

So this must be her partner. The one Tenten did not want her to sit with.

Hinata vaguely thought—maybe Tenten had a crush on him. Maybe she just wanted him for herself. She blushed after thinking so, it was unlike her, being this cattily juvenile.

"Psst…Hinata! "

As the boy made his way calmly through the aisle, Tenten hissed at her in obvious urgency, as if to say this was her last chance to switch. Her last chance.

But it was too late, for he was already upon her.

"….you. "

All the kids swerved around to gawp at her now, and Hinata froze. What was going on?

"Look at me. "

He was also in Kakashi sensei's league—he did not have to raise his voice to be authoritative. Hinata obediently looked up at the perfect face that was staring down at her. He scrutinized her for one second, and a look of recognition swept through him. She flinched at the livid look that suddenly crossed his chiseled features.

"…you're a Hyuuga. "

The look he gave her was of pure cold hatred. Hinata for a second felt as if an invisible hand was punching her—all the air rushed out of her body in a whoosh. She regretted it now, not listening to Tenten.

She should have changed seats.

* * *

(_**Bloodiedsugs's words on –**_

Forgive me for not updating HSBK, DP, TID and so on… but I really wanted to write this!

I broke down. Now I have 7 stories. Kill me.

Bear with me. )


	2. Disturbance

_"__**The White Nights describes the few weeks around the summer solstice during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. The sun does not set until late at night, and twilight lasts much longer."**_

_**

* * *

**_

"You heard the news yet Sasuke? There's a new Hyuuga in town. "

The steely eyes that glared back at Inuzuka Kiba glowed red under the curtains of the darkened room. Kiba stiffened in response, flexing his rugged knotted hands.

He had to take care—this was not his home.

It was the Uchiha mansion.

"I should know. She is already attending school. "

Kiba recoiled.

"What? That soon? The nerve of them, having the disg… "

The reddish glowing eyes cut off his words, following up with a dull irritated tone:

"She sits next to me in Hatake's class. That sufficient information for you? "

Uchiha Sasuke closed his eyes irritably as a corner of Kiba's lips twitched—with his heightened senses, for now, he could detect the boy's amusement from meters away. His irritation mounted up into its peak when he actually felt Kiba's smile widening, his mirth spreading.

God forbid he should laugh.

Less than a second's time, he reminded himself, that's all he needed to dart out and take a lash… but he stopped himself, and wisely too.

Reason number one, the Inuzukas were ally, family friends. Have been and still are, for 600 years and more. Reason number two, Kiba had just been out after a 'hunt'—or so he said—and still vibrated a certain energetic mood, the exact right mood for excitement. Picking a fight would only make the boy happy, and Sasuke detested heightening even an inch more of Kiba's euphoria—he was already suffocating in it.

Reason number three. The Hyuuga girl, Sasuke thought in great distaste.

Having to sit with the atrocity pushed off his limits in tolerance so far out, that he actually believed he had cracked somewhere vital, or had a bust in the seams at the very least. He very much felt like killing someone, if someone should come along and pick a fight with him; somehow irritate him into going over the edge.

And yes, he was sure he would go over the edge if he clashed today. It was wise, not to risk it at all. He unclenched his whitening fist and settled back down into the soft leather.

Sensing Sasuke's minute distress, the maroon headed boy changed tactics and crouched down against the wall, glaring into a pinpoint spot out the paned window.

Searching for eavesdroppers. Constant vigilance.

Sensing no one, Kiba allowed himself to drop back his head and fiddle with the raw scar on his calf, still speaking in a low keyed down tone:

"The Hyuugas are getting laid back. Cautious alertness is out, at least in their home that is. You should see the way that Neji guy allows himself to strut around in school. If he crosses over our side once more… it would be nice to have a reason to pick a fight, wouldn't it? Breaks the dullness. But only when they start it. That new girl might be a part of a ruse to get us going. To have us riled u…"

"The Hyuugas are smart. The girl must have something to do with their plans, but nothing's happened so far, and I can't sense anything threatening. It does not really matter, does it? "

Sasuke wanted more than anything to pick a fight with the insufferable Hyuuga Neji, anything to just burn this flame off. Something about the Hyuuga girl had switched the manic irrational side of his mind on, and he could not throw it off.

But it was stupid to pick a fight when they did not even have a plan. He sided up with the rational perspective.

Sasuke shrugged, rising from his seat on the leather sofa—the queer red glow had disappeared from his coal black eyes.

"Itachi's planning something. "

Kiba smirked, this time, for the sake of Itachi's everyday toiling.

"Well in that case, I'll go home for today… call on me if anything comes up. I'll be glad for some excitement. Konoha is too dull. It only gets fun around here once in a blue moon… or rather, once every after the summer solstice. "

The sentence ended in a lilt, implying the meaning summer solstice had in bound for all of them.

Sasuke eyed Kiba skeptically as the boy jauntily sprinted forward and darted out the door in the fashion he had arrived, his tousle of maroon hair bristling in the wind. He was probably already halfway into the second flight of stairs when Sasuke muttered quietly under his breath:

"And Kiba? Clean up the blood beforehand… next time to decide to drop in, mind. "

Kiba heard.

* * *

**White Nights: Summer Solstice**

**Chapter 1- Leviathan**

_**(Session#2- Disturbance)**_

* * *

"You look so drawn. "

It was not Neji who said this time, but a worried Hiashi.

It was supper time in the Hyuuga residence, and for once, all eight members of the family were present.

Hinata drew back in acute embarrassment when all six identical raven haired Hyuugas halted from eating and looked down the table at her. Among them was Neji, who had a slight frown on his face and did not seem to entirely disagree with his father's observant comment.

Suddenly, a voice sprang up.

"Oh please, dad. She's a newbie at a school in the middle of the year. She's in a completely different surrounding form one she is used to. It would be weird if she didn't have a worry or two. "

The Hyuugas turned to look, this time, at the opposite end of the table now, at the person who had spoken up so melodically. There sat a lithe girl with the obvious features that marked a Hyuuga—long flowing black hair with pale skin and lavender eyes—but also with more finesse. There was a certain grace about her that almost seemed feline, although Hinata dismissed that thought as ridiculous.

Her name was Hyuuga Yurie and she was yet another cousin, Neji's older sister to be precise, and one Hinata was not too familiar with. She had never gotten acquainted, for Yurie had been living abroad in Paris at the time of Hinata's annual visits.

She was poised, took modern jazz and tap dance, and also seemed to be the only one among the Hyuuga family that called Hiashi 'dad', as opposed to the more formal 'father'.

Hiashi's brow creased at this swift interception, and he turned to speak to his eldest daughter.

"I do admit Hinata has plenty of reasons to be upset… but even so, I'm concerned. "

He turned this time, to face Hinata.

"Are you sure you're alright? Is everything okay at school…or is there someone or something bothering you? "

She could see out of the corner of her eye, Neji staring intensely at her reaction. The rest of the family had resumed eating, but it was obvious they were still listening and concentrating—no one else was making conversation. It stressed her.

"I…well. "

Hinata's mind instantly conjured up an image of a certain something…or to be precise, a someone that was bothering her very much, but she quickly erased the image out of pure desperation. It was enough that Hiashi had taken her in under his wing; she did not want to be seen as a complaining unsatisfied sulk.

"N,no… of course not. I'm fine…just a bit…tired. "

She put up a wide fake smile and Hiashi turned back to his plate, still looking a tad bit worried. Tucking in her lasagna, Hinata saw Neji exchange dark looks with Yurie.

* * *

"Hinata, wait! "

It was break time at school, and Hinata was panicking. She had PE for next period, and she hadn't packed her clothes. And she wasn't really that close to anyone else to be able to borrow any clothes—Tenten had PE with her.

And here was Neji, calling out for her at the wrong time; bad timing.

"Hinata? "

Neji curiously stared at Hinata rummaging out her locker in an apparent state of frenzy. He also noted that she hadn't bothered to turn and greet him shyly the way she usually did when they met accidentally in the halls or the cafeteria.

"H…hey, Neji. "

He eyed the thrown about books and files, and smothered a laughter.

"Bad time? "

She grimaced.

"Yes… I, I think I forgot to pack my clothes. "

He looked thoughtful for a moment, then bent down and picked off a paper that had fluttered out of her hands.

Neji dutifully helped picking her books and stray papers off from the floor and assisted in stacking them as well. When he was done, he stood up to his full height and took her hand. Hinata faltered.

"N…Neji? I'm going to be late…"

"You don't have anything to wear. "

"B…but I do still have to attend class. It's mandatory. "

Neji's eyes swerved to look down at hers in a manner in which he clearly thought of her as adorably naive. Hinata cast her eyes down, well aware of the looks she was getting from her classmates who stood to gawp at the sight of the newbie girl hand in hand with the older junior hotshot.

If it hadn't been so obvious that they were related, this might have been more enjoyable.

"Well I do have a way around at school… I could get you out of class for this one time. "

"D…do you mean cutting class? "

He made a mock-displeased face. Then grinned as he continued:

"Now Hinata, if you put it that way. But I should tell you, I'm part of the student council… and maybe we're looking for a new secretary. "

Hinata spluttered. Student council? Secretary?

"N…no, no. I …I think I'll just head to PE…"

"And get points off for not being ready? "

Hinata cringed—she hated getting points off. She wanted to do 'well', to somehow compensate for living in Hiashi's house… if she seemed competent, perhaps this situation wouldn't be so embarrassing.

But student council was another matter; she disliked and activity that forced her to become active, especially if it was concerned with school.

"B…but Neji, I suck. "

Neji spluttered out in laughter again, and a few freshman girls huddled about the water fountain gave her a curious look. Not exactly a friendly look, but more likely one that asked, 'Why is he with her? ', with an emphasize on the 'he' and 'her'.

"It doesn't matter if you suck… look, I'm just trying to help you here. It just happens so that this period is free period for me, and I could bail you out of Gai's PE class by bullshitting that I'm taking you off for a discussion on matters concerning the SC… and voila. Instant free period. "

Hinata was dubious; Neji must have another reason for dragging her off so suddenly.

She recalled the night before, the awkward silence that ensued after Hiashi's comment, and the odd looks she got from Neji and Yurie, all mingled with the smell of well-made Lasagna…

But it was better than having points off.

"…o, okay. I'll cut PE. "

"This isn't about my being upset, is it? "

Hinata sprung this on him as soon as they were out of the teacher's lounge; Neji had been true to his words. He bailed her out with no checked marks on her attendance sheet.

Neji swallowed his vending machine coke with a frown.

"…partially. But not as much. "

Hinata visibly drooped, unwilling to talk about the matter that had been boring down on her for the past few days. Neji crushed his can of coke and chucked it lightly into the bin as they walked out of the halls into the daylight.

"Don't worry. I won't dwell on it if it bothers you so much. "

There was a short moment of silence as they both casually walked down the normally populated fields—now, it was only occupied where PE classes was being held. Tenten gave her a quizzical look from afar as she threw a volleyball absentmindedly at her partner. She hadn't been aiming, and the ball flew straight into Lee's face.

It was Hinata who broke down first.

"Do you think…"

Neji waited with a patient ear.

"D…do you think I…I smell? "

A pause.

His eyes seemed to know it was an unwise time to laugh, but he did anyways.

"Why do you think that? Hinata, did someone tell you that you smell? "

Hinata blushed furiously.

She fastened her paced and lowered her head indignantly. Neji didn't have a problem with that; his long strides could overtake her in just two paces.

"I…It's just that. I have this class…Lit. "

A queer look entered Neji's eyes as he stared straight ahead and murmured:

"…continue. "

"Well…I, I have partner. Sitting partner…we, all have assigned seats. And…and, this guy… really hates me. "

"Does he have a reason to be so? "

Hinata thought it was odd that Neji did not press for the name of the guy, but perhaps he was being considerate. He sounded pressured.

"T…that's why I was asking you… maybe he thinks I smell? "

"That's not what's really bothering you, is it. "

Neji spoke quietly, and Hinata truly wished this moment would pass. She hadn't really wanted to talk about this, not when it might get back to Hiashi and prove her as inadequate.

"…no. I was just… worried that… the guy seemed to really…really... hate our… family name? "

She tried desperately to end it in a light note, but her voice broke at the end. It was her clear photographic memory that did it.

The past few days in lit class had been hell, even with the good looking teacher hovering in the front. Her partner, Uchiha Sasuke, barely looked at her, and at times he did, she could immediately feel the intense 'hate' that emanated from his eyes. It was uncanny; she did not know that it was possible to 'feel' the hate, but in this case, she could. It was hard not to.

Even Tenten did not speak of the issue, adeptly averting and avoiding discussing the matter.

"What do you mean by he hates our family name?"

"…he looked once at me… on the first day, and…and he knew right away that I was a Hyuuga. He was…mad? "

Mad did not quite even start to describe it. He literally convulsed in distaste and fury—the word livid might have done justice to what he was like that day, but not quite enough.

Neji suddenly stiffened beside her, refusing to walk further. Hinata stopped with him, looking up inquiringly.

He muttered rigidly:

"…speak of the devil. "

Hinata's eyes quickly swerved to the direction Neji was glaring at, and stiffened herself, her eyes widening in dread.

Two boys were coming this way, both obviously cutting class. She recognized one of them easily enough.

Raven hair that spiked oddly in the back, the uncannily perfect form of his face, the overwhelming presence; it was her angry lit partner.

Hinata's stomach did a double-take, and she took a step back. The two boys seemed to have been engaged in a deep discussion, but her tiny movement immediately alerted them. Both heads snapped up in a strangely uniform movement, and their eyes registered in the—it was weird she felt this way—imposters.

It brought instant reaction.

The second boy that Hinata did not recognize was goggling at her, his eyes snapping in less anger than surprise. But it was her lit partner that surprised her the most.

His eyes seemed to glow literally red with fury—that was ridiculous unless he had lenses—but the moment passed, and his eyes went back to onyx. He took a casual step forward, somehow approaching and curbing at the same time.

Hinata now saw that Neji was slightly taller, but the boy had the better build.

"Hyuuga. "

He spat. He then lifted the corner of his lips with some effort, the dark seething look never leaving his eyes.

It was only after a few seconds that Hinata realized it was something close to a sneer.

Neji smiled back mirthlessly; he had the identical smile, but only more cautious. But he spoke with less caution.

"We're at school. Behave. "

Uchiha Sasuke seemed to be thrown off by the condescending tone Neji used, but instead of being riled up, he went calm. The glare in his onyx eyes died out, replaced by a wary, ready look.

The other boy came to join Sasuke's side, a roguish athletic looking boy with a crop of maroon hair. He might have looked friendly with the mischievous eyes and cheerful smile, but it was a queer sort of exuberance.

Almost as if he was anticipating a fight.

"Don't mind me. "

His voice was playful, and Neji glowered.

"…I'd prefer it if you two move on.

Sasuke nodded at Neji's comment, a mock play of concurrence. The maroon head stood back, smirking and still eyeing Hinata.

"It is only midmorning. And I do have lit today. No need to get this day anymore nauseating than it is now. "

He spoke with more eloquence then Hinata had initially thought he would; she had naturally assumed he'd start cursing at the end of every sentence, seeing the way he looked at her disgustedly. Sasuke moved deliberately, carefully giving the Hyuugas a wide berth. The maroon head followed him, giving Hinata one last look of curiosity.

They curbed the corner and were out of sight. And the intense atmosphere died out.

Hinata let out a relieved sigh, completely unaware that she was doing so. She looked up at her still stiff cousin and inquired in a trembling voice:

"…y…he doesn't like you too? "

Neji looked down at her.

He put up a curious smile, a grimace and smirk rolled into one.

"That's an understatement. "

* * *

**(bloodiedsugs's comments on WNSS-**

Like it so far?

Bear with me)


	3. Cliques

"_**The White Nights describes the few weeks around the summer solstice during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. The sun does not set until late at night, and twilight lasts much longer."**_

* * *

Inuzuka Kiba had barely set down his lunch when he 'felt' it.

Some of his cousins were running amok in the halls, and was barely concealing their excitement…or strength—shame.

Youngsters. Freshman who had just entered Konoha High a semester ago and was still blissfully unaware of the tiring years they'd have to endure after their older siblings graduated. Lucky, lucky bastards. He himself would have liked nothing else than to join in on the fun, but it was impossible to do so at school, with every pair of eyes watching the invisible feud between the Hyuugas and the Uchihas… mainly, of course, since so many other families were intricately involved in this whole mess… including the Inuzukas.

'…Kiba, calm them down. Send them over for reeducation. '

An Uchiha order, summoned directly from—as annoying as this was—the youngest Uchiha on surveillance: Uchiha Miharu, a freshman with as much aloofness in her blood as her older brothers had.

He sighed, chucking the lunch away without making a dent. The other kids sitting at the table did not comment on this; they were too used to it. Besides, every now and then, they went on patrol work themselves. Freshmans were hard work. But it were the people who wasn't involved that was the worst—'blissfully unaware', those naïve ones did not know what danger zone they waded through everyday.

A perfectly normal day at school, with a touch of sarcastic emphasis on the 'normal'.

As he walked down the cafeteria aisle, he acutely felt the eyes of his peers driving into his back like invisible daggers. The people who were involved all chose to keep surveillance. Even those that chose to be neutral… he flinched when he met the eyes of Nara Shikamaru; he smiled. And Kiba became immediately wary. That boy was an enigma. A quirk.

In all, it mounted up to abnormality in giant doses. A tamed chaos.

Yet no outsider would know.

They can't know.

They'd probably think it was just a bad case of juvenile kids running around in gangs… ha. The word was extraordinarily funny to Kiba, considering what he had to go through everyday.

Gangs. Cliques. It almost sounded childish, bordering on unreal.

No one had any idea how deep the schism went.

* * *

**White Nights: Summer Solstice**

**Chapter 1- Leviathan**

**(**_**Session#3- Cliques**_**)**

* * *

"I… I thought you were just using it as…an excuse! "

Hinata balked at the sign that read boldly: 'Student Council'.

Neji was rip-roaring with laughter in the background, quite pleased at the reaction it got out of Hinata.

"Neji! "

She knew she should let her voice down, considering that it was inside the library, but she was too fazed to care. Of all the people in the world, how could Neji do this to her? It was bad enough that she was still a 'new student', and still had to mumble out, 'Hyuuga Hinata' indignantly whenever some ignorant teacher called her, 'Hyuuga Hitomi' or worse, 'Hyuuga…?' with the trailing-off lilt in the end.

"Well, I'm not one to lie much. I'm a pretty honest guy. I don't go around telling lies to teachers. "

Neji spoke with a grin, a hand reaching out to turn the doorknob, only stopping when she looked daggers at him.

Hinata very much wanted to shout 'bullshit', but was horrified at herself for even thinking such a thought—though it was pretty appropriate for the situation—and quickly chose to step away. However, the bookcases next to the door blocked her from moving further backwards, so she scuttled hurriedly, inching away from the inexorable god-forsaken door…sideways.

Neji made a wry comment.

"Hinata, you look like a crab. "

She blushed up wonderfully, and mumbled abashedly:

"I…I don't care what I look like! I'm not…not going in there! "

Neji stood with his arms playfully crossed, a confidant 'you'll-give-over' look spreading on his face. He leaned against the plastic door, feigning a yawn. She bristled.

"I…I thought you wanted to just…talk. "

Hinata accused him ruefully, still scuttling despite the chuckles it got out of Neji.

"I am, going to continue the talk. In that room. "

Hinata's scuttle was about to turn into a full-fledged sprint.

Neji continued:

"It's empty. "

She stopped her scuttling.

"Oh. "

"Now, may we proceed? "

He plucked out a brass key from his pocket and opened the door. He had been right. There was no one present in the big spacious room.

Hinata stood there for a moment, feeling very foolish indeed.

The room had an indigo azure theme, with the walls painted indigo and the plastic furniture standing out only lightly in a coat of azure. There was a huge oval slab of table placed in the center, with about ten or more rolling-type chairs placed tidily into the niches underneath. A few laptops were strewn about abandoned in the sideward cubbies, and a screen was rolled out front covering half the whiteboard. A projector hung from the ceiling, its remote placed neatly on top of the table.

The place looked pretty updated and modern for a small-town schoolroom.

Neji easily walked over to the back of the room in a manner that clearly showed he was well acquainted with the place, and plopped down on one of the chairs. It even had his name placard on it—Hyuuga Neji. He gestured for Hinata to sit down, and she did, tentatively picking out a chair.

Nara Shikamaru.

When they were both seated, Neji spoke up.

"Hinata, I just want to explain some…things over. "

He swallowed with some difficulty, remembering the little pep talk he had had with Yurie last night, after the dinner.

Hiashi might have wanted everything under surveillance, but that was impossible. The feud would not fall under hiatus just because Hinata was there. She was bound to catch on that something was up, or she already had caught on, seeing the way she learned to ignore the looks her peers gave her when she passed by. It would be better for him to explain this situation in words that might make sense to her, rather than having her… imagining things.

But he won't tell her everything; that was for sure.

"This might sound ridiculous, I'm quite aware of that, but… there's some… little feud going on in our school. I assume you already sort of know. Have some kids been giving you dirty looks? "

Hinata quickly let out a relieved sigh. This was exactly what she wanted to talk about, but could not mention just in case it was taboo.

"N, not exactly dirty looks, but… but they're a bit weird when it comes to…our family name. "

Neji frowned.

This was going to be hard, explaining things over in a normal boundary with normal casual, 'realistic' words. He moved his hands to his temple, rubbing the spot where it started to throb. The air conditioner that had been cranked up to full tilt suddenly stopped—it had been timed beforehand. The room turned quiet.

He spoke.

"Our school… is sort of, divided, into two groups. "

"Cliques? "

She instantly piped up.

Neji cringed.

Hinata couldn't have chosen a more unlikely word, he thought with an inaudible private sigh. But if he did not want to reveal the truth to her, he'd have to go about this using the words she was most familiar with in this kind of situations, in euphemistic terms to be precise. Clans and alliances will have to be reduced to 'cliques', and the centuries- long bloody feud would have to be rendered into 'a skirmish between teenagers. '

He felt like a translator.

"…kind of. Yeah. "

"…are the cliques divided into family groups? "

She was fast at guesswork.

Which made it all the more harder to cover up the real truth. Neji was dismayed again at the thought of having to conceal everything from his unknowing cousin for more than a year. It was taxing to both him and her.

"Yes. Mostly the Hyuugas and the Uchihas. "

Hinata sat quiet for a moment, then gave a shy tentative giggle. Neji, startled by this, stared at her quiestioningly.

"Well…w…would that mean …we're infamous, Neji? "

Neji snorted and gave an easy shrug. Having the harder parts done with, he slung his left arm over the back of his chair and leaned into the polyester, scanning Hinata's face. He chose his words carefully.

"To them, we are. "

She sat thinking for a moment.

"…so was that…that maroon haired guy an Uchiha too? "

Hinata's voice shook ever so slightly with fear, remembering the hungry predator-like look the roguish boy had. It disturbed her more than the furious glares of the Uchiha, if that was even possible. It was queer indeed; the only complications she expected from school was catty girls and pushy boys, as was the norm…and perhaps her shyness. But this school was different.

Neji faltered a bit; damn. He had forgotten how complicated it was. It involved too many families… but he wasn't about to go into details.

He'd have to wing it for now.

"…no. He's an Inuzuka. "

Hinata bit her lips, hard.

It was weird enough that Neji was speaking of others in their family names, a bit like how strict teachers did before they got friendly. It almost made the whole deal sound military, which was ridiculous in itself.

She'd have liked to have things the way she was used to—everyone was a Neji or a Sasuke or a Tenten. Not a Hyuuga, Uchiha and a Tamura.

Neji was still, deep in thought.

He spoke up again in a lighter tone:

"Okay. Let me make this clearer for you…Do you have a good memory?"

Yes she did, she could be sure of that at least.

"Y…yes? "

"I'm just going to list everyone you need to stay clear of… or those that you could be sure that aren't going to be too friendly. "

She nodded once, lightly, muted and numbed by the fact that there were going to be more than just two families.

"This is kind of obvious, but one, stay away from the Uchihas; there's only one Uchiha in sophomore year, and that would be your sour lit partner. Two, the Inuzukas. There's two of them in your year; the one you saw just before was Kiba do…Kiba. There's one more, Inuzuka Kaoru; a hellish girl that's in the girl's basketball team. Three, Harunos. There's one girl, Haruno bitc…Sakura; she's in your year, a cheerleader. Four..."

And he continued until Hinata flinched impuslsively in her own seat and he noticed.

"…and …are you getting all this? "

He asked, noticing her vague bemused expression. She was only fazed by the list of names he was firing at her without a pause…that many?

Neji groaned inwards for a moment, realizing he'd gotten carried away.

"Don't fret yourself, Hinata. Forget the rest, just stay away from Uchiha Sasuke and the rest will be okay…"

"…o...okay. "

She stuttered.

"Are you okay? "

Neji's pale brow creased, and he threw Hinata another concerned look. Maybe he should have stuck to what his father said, and not tell her anything.

Was this a mistake?

"Oi, Neji, discussion room is not for personal purpos… What the hell you doing here with a girl? "

The door suddenly barged open and in came two people, one a guy and the other a girl. It was the guy who had spoken; he had blonde hair that stuck up everywhere. The girl also had blonde hair but with a lighter honey color, tied up in four eccentric bunches, a character. Hinata instantly thought she was beautiful.

Neji responded with an irritated but amused grin.

"It's my cousin, Uzumaki. Y'know? I thought I already told Kankuro to war…tell you. "

The boy named Uzumaki was unnerved for a moment, Hinata saw. He seemed to her as bad at concealing his feelings.

"Well, she's n...new? Ah, oh… the new girl. Right, the new girl… Kankuro told me. Uh… hey new girl! My name is, remember this, Uzumaki Naruto! "

He exaggerated, flinging open his arms in a histrionic manner, a gesture that almost seemed clownish. He seemed nice enough though.

"H…hi. "

Hinata linked her hands together, cupping them on her knees. New acquaintances were always hard work.

The girl who Hinata thought was beautiful spoke up; she had a curt businesslike tone.

"Hi, I'm Temari. Junior, and in the same class as your cousin brother... and this fool. "

She jerked her thumb at the clown boy, still snapping his hands in a 'come and get me' motion.

"Hi, I,…I'm Hinata. "

She gave Hinata a small but warm smile then quickly swerved to face Neji.

"Well anyhow, we're having the meeting in five minutes, so we should get everything set up. Iruka sensei wanted us to go over the announcements. "

"…again? "

The boy called Uzumaki Naruto balked.

"I already reminded you Naruto, have you forgotten it already? "

Temari sounded exasperated.

Naruto moaned.

"Jesus Christ, it's been four times already! Loosen up a bit Iruka! "

Neji chuckled as he entered the conversation:

"When's the rest coming? "

Naruto shrugged as he plunked down onto a seat and Temari answered:

"Shikamaru's coming later and I don't think Shino's coming today. He has Kendo, and you know he's the captain. And Sai will be here any moment. "

As if he was on cue, a boy with medium length raven hair walked into the room, an apologetic smile on his face, his eyes tilted on at the corners delicately. He was holding a loose black bag and strangely enough, a long flat wooden stick. Spotted with holes.

"Asuma ended class late. "

He said shortly.

Naruto waved casually and said:

"Well we're almost all here… Shikamaru'll get his brief from Temari anyways, so let's start this! "

Hinata felt slightly out of it again; they were all so well acquainted with each other, and now that Neji had told her what she needed to hear, she did not see any reasons for her to stay.

"I…I think I should go…"

"Hmm? "

The four heads turned to her, and Neji started.

"It's okay, Hinata. Honestly, this is just for show… you can stay if you want to. Class doesn't start till 30 min later. "

"I…I'm a bit hungry. I'll go to the ca…cafeteria, get a …bite. I'll be fine. You have your meeting Neji. "

She ducked out of the room hurriedly, as if Neji would catch her and drag her back into the room with a grin.

He didn't.

Relieved, Hinata slunk back to the lockers from where she had started this day. No one was there, considering it was the middle of class. She looked up at the huge clock on the wall; 11:28, nearing lunch.

Tidying up the locker only took 5 minutes of her thirty minutes, and she was hungry. Waiting for class to end would be tiring, and Tenten might go off and eat with her other friends. Better get lunch over with, and maybe she could hang out in the library, reading books. It was the best place for shy loners like her, where she could be herself without seeming friendless. Besides, Konoha high had a superb library, ranging from novels like Lovely Bones, to memoirs like Becoming Anna. She liked memoirs.

Hinata decided to risk getting lost and set off for the cafeteria herself.

Alone.

* * *

(**bloodiedsugs's words on WNSS—**

The better parts are coming soon…

I kind of fell asleep while writing this session.

I know, a little boring. Like a filler.

But actually, I don't really mind because without these kind of sessions, my stories won't make a spot of sense…lol

Bear with me. )


	4. Daymare I

"_**The White Nights describes the few weeks around the summer solstice during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. The sun does not set until late at night, and twilight lasts much longer."**_

* * *

"Ni-sama. It's them again. "

The classroom held only three people.

Uchiha Miharu. Inuzuka Kiba.

Uchiha Sasuke.

"Can't be... I already sent them over for reeducation! "

Kiba growled at the impish girl that sat before them, her face alight in vague amusement and smugness. Sasuke was silent.

"You don't have much of a grip on your cousins, do you, Inuzuka-san? "

A chair fell over and Kiba towered over Uchiha Miharu; her eyes glowed red for a split second and Kiba's went lime.

Then Sasuke intervened.

"Miharu. stop. "

They both relaxed, Kiba crashing down back on the chair with an obvious frown on his face, and Miharu's face twitching slightly with irritation. After they had both settled somehow, Sasuke stood up and bore down on them, a displeased expression on his intense face. Miharu's face jerked up and she asked softly.

"Did you feel that? You saw who it was that they're..."

"...I did. And by god, I wish it wasn't...her. "

Kiba watched as his friend's face twisted into a livid mask. Bad sign.

"Sasuke, I'll go. "

He volunteered swiftly; perhaps the Inuzukas were boisterous in nature, but there was no telling what Sasuke might do in this condition. Miharu jerked her head in vexation, but Sasuke shook his head once.

"No. I sense someone else up there. It's him. "

Then he was gone in a second.

The room fell in silence again, with the exception of Kiba's angry raspy breathing and Miharu's little huffs.

"Well I'm going. "

"Ni-sama told you 'he' would go. "

"I ain't going up to the roof, squirt. "

Kiba stormed out of the room in a flash, barely looking back to check the contemptuous look on Miharu's face.

She only whispered the insult, but Kiba heard everything anyways.

"...dog. "

* * *

**White Nights: Summer Solstice**

**Chapter 1- Leviathan**

**(Session#4-Daymare I )**

* * *

She should have known, she should have smelled it coming from miles away. What exactly had she been thinking, setting off for the cafeteria alone at a school she wasn't even that familiar with and with no one to guide her?

Hyuuga Hinata was lost.

The hallways looked familiar, but she was all of a sudden among the language quarters of the freshman classes. She could see vague outlines of kids having their classes through the frosted windows, and quickly made a u-turn. As she did so, she eyed the huge clock that seemed to hang on every corner of the halls; 12:09.

Instead of making headway, Hinata had managed to waste 10 minutes of her time, wandering around the school. Stumbling over a pen on the floor, she wondered if it was possible for her to at least return to where she started from— her lockers.

Suddenly, the doors opened from all sides and freshman students came rushing out from their classes; she had forgotten that language classes always ended 20 minutes early to accommodate the extra period the freshman kids were obliged to take.

"Shut up, he'd still not back? "

"…even think that she was really in a …"

"I'll get to it after lunch, thanks. "

Hinata was all of a sudden surrounded by crowds and crowds of students, none of them recognizable, all of them too noisy. Cacophony. A throng of giggly girls shoved into her as they passed, but none of them bothered to say sorry. One of them turned and caught her eye, and swept her head back with such a snap that Hinata faltered, wondering if it was that 'it's-a-Hyuuga' reaction again. It was hard to bear, that entire din with no sanctuary in sight.

She shouldn't have set off alone like that. She should have waited for Neji.

Hinata quickly jumped into an empty classroom and closed the door, sighing in relief. It was dark and quiet in there.

All that noise. At least she was alone now.

Or she thought she was.

"No sophomores allowed in here, get out. "

A rough voice rang out from the darkened back of the room, and Hinata turned in alarm. There were two boys sitting in the back, one with a crop of maroon hair similar to the Inuzuka boy, and the other with strawberry-blonde bristle. The maroon head was wearing the uniform of a junior, the green flag on his chest claimed that, and the other one seemed to be a freshman, yellow flag.

They laughed at her reaction.

"Just joking senpai. "

The strawberry-blonde head called out, then punched the maroon boy next to him.

"Have some respect, Touru-san. "

"Shut up, Lee. "

The maroon head, snickering, switched the lights on. The fluorescent light flickered on after a second, flooding the darkened room.

And their grins froze on their faces as their eyes swept over Hinata's form.

"Jesus Christ… "

The boy called Lee breathed out, his breath obviously caught in his throat. The maroon-head, Touru, stood up wide-eyed. He walked the exact same way Sasuke did; approaching and curbing at the same time.

He muttered softly as he walked.

"Lavender eyes. Black hair longer than life. Pale… spotless skin… "

His tone was soft, but the belying undertone was unpleasant. Hinata shivered; she felt like she was on display in a freak show. The junior, Touru, had finally reached her, and spoke in distaste:

"Telltale sign. You're a Hyuuga. "

In his mouth, the word Hyuuga turned into something evil, something disgusting and revolting. Hinata squirmed at the reference; everyone seemed to respond to the name. Lee came to join Touru by his side, still seemly stunned, wary.

Hinata attempted an explanation.

"I…didn't know I w…wasn't supposed to be in h…here. S,sorry…"

Touru's face distorted.

"Sorry? No, this doesn't end with a sorry. You're trespassing. "

Her blank face threw him off.

"Look, see? You're a sophomore, not a freshman. Even little Lee here knows better than to walk into a Hyuuga territory without back-up…that's just the equivalent to what you just did…are you stupid? "

"Or suicidal. "

Lee added with a chuckle, his initial alarm alleviated. Hinata backed into the door, sensing with growing dread that she had fallen into something bigger than she could have imagined. Her eyes flickered sideways to the windows, but all the kids seemed to have gone on to lunch; there was not a sign of a human being lingering in the hallways.

She was alone.

"She looks like a weak one…can we take her? "

Lee looked up at Touru in a begging fashion, his eyes gleaming with elation. He was quite short with a slight build, his motions springy. Touru, in contrast, was tall, brawny with a leery expression.

Hinata disliked both; she wanted out.

"Maybe. It was her fault anyhow, walking in here in all her glory… why don't we go for a walk Hyuuga? I know you also don't want to be seen by the others in your real form anywhere near school. "

Real form?

Hinata was truly perplexed by that time, not to mention the sweat that clung on her palms. They were going to do something to her and she did not know what. They were going to take her to some unknown place.

They were grinning ear to ear now, their plans set.

"Let's call up the others. This should be fun. "

* * *

Hyuuga Yurie's eyes opened in a snap.

She had been patrolling with her senses, something not many were capable of, but what came easily enough to the Hyuugas, given their specialized eyes.

And something was up.

Never in her life had she had someone in her family so willingly walk on the grounds the Uchihas had claimed for themselves, even if it had been Hinata, the clueless one. What had she been doing in the freshman's quarters?

She stood up swiftly with the grace of a dancer, her long mane of her sweeping over her desk in a dramatic fashion. Her classmate—one of the 'naïveté' as they called all those who weren't aware of the feud going on—gawped at her. He was an awkward male with a body too gangly for him to manage.

"Uh…class is about to start Yurie. "

"Can you please tell Kurenai sensei that I've gone to the infirmary? I have a… headache, it seems. "

She smiled at him warmly and he blushed, nodding without meeting her eyes. That being over, she pushed out the door and started sprinting towards the stairs. This was ridiculous. Those Uchihas knew better than to cause trouble at school… so it must have been one of the Inuzukas or Harunos.

The Inuzukas were more likely, especially the ones that were boisterous, 'immature' beyond their years.

She sussed out the possibilities; a negotiation would be an easy enough thing with an Uchiha, but the Inuzukas were another story. And she needed to be fast about her wits; Hinata might have caught on more than she ought to by now.

Her light steps barely echoed into the empty halls.

But even as she sprinted, she felt another being rushing past her in a storm, stomping up the stairs three at a time, his black hair tumbling behind him, faster than a car running to its full tilt.

Neji.

* * *

"Cruds… you damn fuckers could've warned me what a sweet little 'naïveté' we had here? "

Hinata and the two boys had met up with another few of the maroon-heads at the roof. Hinata realized with a flush of ice that she was actually front to front with a pack of Inuzukas... they had to be. She even recognized one other boy who was a freshman that chatted frequently with Sasuke. And they were frustrated. Hinata was not putting up a fight, nor was she calling for help.

Nor did it seem like she had a spot of clue as to why she had been summoned up to the roof so unceremoniously, accompanied by the two roguish boys.

Touru let out a gusty sigh, and spoke to a short boy that was built like a battering ram.

"Kazu, she's a Hyuuga. "

The boy named Kazu spat, and growled:

"But look at her! She knows 'nothing', I'm telling you. It's obvious, just look at her! "

Lee grimaced and growled back:

"What are you talking about? She's a Hyuuga, how could she be an outsider? They're the ones that are the worst! "

Kazu stared him down condescendingly, speaking in an acidic tone.

"Shush it, squirt. You ain't one of us. "

Lee backed down with a dark scowl, and the rest gathered around Hinata once more, this time without taking care. They examined her more closely while she cowered up against the low-rise walls. A few shoves and she might as well have fallen down.

They still couldn't believe it.

"Maybe… "

One spoke thoughtfully, a slender boy with upturned eyes.

"Maybe she'd switch on her 'true' self if we only egged her on a bit… you know. Once that fucking Hyuuga trademark ghost eyes pop out, it'll be obvious her outsider charade was a ruse. "

A murmur went through the group; only Lee was anxious this time, chewing on a hangnail and watching the shivering Hinata with a suspicious look.

"Guys… what if she's a naïveté? "

"Shut up Lee. Run along back to your sister. "

The boy backed down once more, and the group all took a few steps back, everyone going into an identical stance. Touru in the lead, they smirked and stood back some more, as if waiting for her reaction. Hinata's scratched at the white wall, and wondered which would be the worse fate; falling down 8 floors and cracking her head open, or getting assaulted by the pack of boys.

There wasn't much of a choice.

Her shoes scraped the back of the whitewashed walls; she would fling herself over the edge if any of them took a step towards her...

It was at that desperate moment when Hinata felt an overwhelming rush of wind sweeping over her, throwing her hair back in a torrent.

Neji.

"…n…Neji. "

Relief flooded over along with a deluge of sudden awareness of how close she had actually been to jumping off the building. Hinata froze, droplets of tear slashing down her eyes as she inched away from the edge towards her cousin brother.

He stood heaving in front of her, his body tense and springy, anger spilling out from the cracks. His back to her, he glowered. The rest of the bunch stood a step back, warily eyeing the sudden imposter. She had never seen him this mad before. Furious. Livid. Words that she usually associated with Uchiha Sasuke.

But this was Neji.

And that Neji roared at the group of Inuzukas at the top of his lungs.

"'This' is NEUTRAL ground! "

For some reason, they cowered, even though the obvious dislike was still plain on their faces. Neji towered over them.

His neck stretched taut and veins stood out in his forehead. Hinata had thought before that Neji for one never got red. But an angry blotch was forming on the base of his neck up to his cheekbones, spreading.

So Neji did get red. When he was angry.

"Hinata? Look away. Please. "

His voice was strained, as if a great pressure was bottled up inside him, and was fighting to get out.

She incredulously stared at him. It was hard to think straight; she naturally would have wondered how he even knew she was up here. She hadn't even yelled for help. And yet he was standing in front her in a protective stance, his hair slightly disheveled and his eyes fixated on the Inuzukas...

Despite Neji's pleading, she peeked. She could not help it—he had triggered her curiosity despite the situation, and Neji needn't know.

But surprisingly, his hand shot out from under and placed itself on her face, cupping her eyes.

"N…Neji? "

Hinata heard a timid snicker from one of the boys standing in the pack.

She heard Neji's voice.

"I thought we'd last longer than this… "

* * *

**(bloodiedsugs's words on WNSS-**

PS: sorry, uploaded it again because i found out that i uploaded the unfinished version.. 'this' one's the finished version

Way too late..

Sorry, school work's taking up so much… ^^

Bear with me)


	5. Daymare II

_**"The White Nights describes the few weeks around the summer solstice during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. The sun does not set until late at night, and twilight lasts much longer."**_

* * *

Her arms snatched his before the flitting figure rushed upstairs.

She backed into the wall, but had managed to stop him.

Uchiha Sasuke glowered into Hyuuga Yurie's eyes, lips curling up in distaste.

"…don't touch me. "

"Don't be too rash."

Yurie replied in a sincere tone, a first.

Sasuke faltered, suspicious.

"It's not what you think. Neji has the right to control the Inuzukas if they've gone against the code. "

Sasuke stared at her, flustered for a moment. But the imperious glare returned to his eyes.

"No, that is my right. "

* * *

**White Nights: Summer Solstice**

**Chapter 1- Leviathan**

**(Session#5-Daymare II )**

* * *

It was Neji who broke the silence.

His shoulders relaxed, some of the tension blown off. And the Inuzukas' eyes snapped in curiosity; the Hyuuga with his stance down? Since when did that…

"Just this once. Let's have a negotiation. "

"Negoti…what? "

Neji's words stunned them into silence.

Touru eyed Neji incredulously, as if he had just announced that he was going to get married to an Uchiha. That Neji boy was smarter than that. He knew better than to try and strike up a negotiation with the Inuzukas. It was ridiculous that he was even bringing the matter up.

Nevertheless, he continued blandly as if Touru had not spoken:

"You stay put, I'll back off. No harm done to each side. "

Hinata finally grasped the knowledge that Neji had the upper hand in this deal, even though it was five against one. She could tell by the way they responded to him.

But she was still anxious.

Neji was trying to hide something.

"Huh… you know, there's not a single selected among us at the moment…"

Touru spoke up with a frown, his maroon hair bristling in the cool wind. He continued after a pause.

"…you could, as insulting as this is…probably take us all. By yourself. Why bother having a negotiation? Ain't it easier to just have us all now? "

Lee's eyed glowed, he scuttled back deep into the pack, but Kazu angrily shoved him aside. Neji eyed this without a word, his face set. He kept his voice calm.

"…it'll do much for the both of us if there's no trouble. I'd rather have not deal with Sasuke yet again; rather have things simple. "

His manners were composed and his face was bland, but suddenly, there were a commotion among the Inuzukas. They were still gawping at him, outraged. Touru spoke again, his arms slowly crossing.

"Y'know… it's pretty weird that…you, a selected among the Hyuugas…turn down a perfectly good opportunity to bring some of us down…"

"You 'want' me to do so? "

Neji spat out, obviously vexed by the situation. Touru grimaced.

Suddenly, Kazu, who had been staying a few steps back, snapped his teeth. His face was still cautious, but a touch of mockery lingered. He glanced at Hinata, who flinched, and suddenly put on a big wide grin.

"Well well…what'dya know? Little useless Lee was right for once…"

All eyes swerved to him, and he continued, enjoying the spotlight, being the center of attention. He put up a bigger grin, this time, at Neji's grim face.

"I believe we have a genuine Hyuuga naïveté in front of us. "

Hinata saw Neji tense again.

What was a naïveté?

"Ha…and for 'some' reason… he seems to be keen on 'not' making her know…in other words, you're keeping a pretty big secret from your own kin, Hyuuga. "

Hinata did not think Neji would do this, but surprisingly enough, her cousin brother snarled.

Lee eyed the interaction without a word, then whipped up and—amazingly frightening to Hianta's eyes, jumped off the building. But instead of screaming and gasping, the Inuzukas only looked irritated. Touru spat into the concrete, muttering something that sounded like, "Coward…"

Kazu grinned.

"…I don't care if this costs me my life; it's too much fun. "

"Inuzuka! "

Neji roared but Kazu was already looking at Hinata, his eyes merry.

"Hey, little girly! Look at me! "

It all happened in less than a second: Kazu disappearing from his original place among the Inuzukas, and suddenly appearing right beside Hinata, his body crouched low, and his face upturned, staring at her with a triumphant grin, baring his teeth. And Neji suddenly beside her as well almost at the same time, his arm crashing into Kazu's chest, completely throwing him off with one blow.

But in that split second, she saw many things.

Kazu's eyes, were lemon yellow. All around.

Inhumanly yellow; it reminded her of the documentaries they showed on National Geographic… the ones with wolves and lynxes.

And his teeth; pointed to the extent of being ridiculous, as if he'd bought fake vampire fangs from the Halloween toy shelf at a shabby corner shop. But they seemed somehow, real.

And they both, moved, too, fast.

Too fast for a human.

"You… fucker! "

It was probably the only time Hinata heard Neji holler profanity without then grinning to show he was goofing around. He was already back into his original position, with his back to Hinata.

Kazu, heaving on the ground, spat a bloody mix of saliva on to the concrete, his lips twisted up into a warped smile. His eyes flickered out back, turning green as opposed to the lime that had dominated it just seconds ago.

"He…he. Shit. You took out a rib there. "

He rubbed his chest, wincing slightly. Neji growled again.

"…you…fuckers! "

"N…Neji? "

Neji still had his back to her.

He somehow seemed bigger, his frame was more pronounced, the taut, wiry, stretching muscles obvious under his straining shirt. His hands kept flexing into a claw-like grip.

He looked like a panther ready for the kill with his lightly crouched form, ready to spring.

And he still wasn't looking at her.

"N…Neji. "

"…not now Hinata. "

Kazu laughed hysterically from the ground, the flank of Inuzukas behind him.

"Go on girly, wanna see something worse than what I just showed you? Don't tell me you didn't get a full view of myself… I know you did. Do you think my eyes are pretty? "

Hinata shivered, half wishing she could inch up next to Neji and somehow cling on to him, but it seemed like bad timing. He had his back to her, pointedly averting his face. He seemed dangerous.

And yet, even with a broken rib, Inuzuka Kazu egged him on.

"Go on, Hyuuga Neji. Show your little naïveté, what you've been holding back from her… go on damn it! I'll bet the flames of hell she'd be more afraid of you than she'd ever be of me then! "

"Inuzuka!"

"Neji! "

Her feet splayed, Hinata wondered why was it that she always had to be so clumsy.

She had meant to ease forward, had meant to just place a hand on Neji's tense shoulder, just to show him she wasn't afraid. She did not know what the hell had just happened now, but she wanted to…and her feet, stupidly enough, caught in each other's wrath, and down she went, falling like a brick.

As considerate as he always was, Neji impulsively turned and caught her with his left arm, balancing her. You could trust him with that, she thought in blissful acute relief.

Hinata had the sense to look up at his face as he did, trying to reassure herself with something that was familiar, something that was…

Neji?

She screamed.

"Ha! I t…fuck, it hurts. I told you she'd be like that! "

Kazu was bellowing with a huge smile on his face. And Hinata opened her eyes again to yet another nightmare.

Neji's eyes.

The pupils have dilated fully to the extent where it made no place for the whites to show. The skin around his eyes stood up in tight veins, as thickly embossed as the ones she normally saw crisscrossing Neji's hand. They seemed to pulsate with vigor.

"Hinata…?"

It was his turn to be uncertain.

She slipped out of his grip and cowered against the wall, sure of the fact that he would turn on her and attack her too. He would, wouldn't he? He seemed to be a monster, just like the lot of them…

"Neji, look! "

It was Touru.

He was certain he had found a slip in Neji's movements, and he sprung immediately, taking the chance.

Again, it all happened too fast: Neji's easy dodging and the Touru's fist swinging aimlessly into thin air. But that movement left a catch for the rest of them, and one Inuzuka sprung up, landing right beside Hinata. Touru pulling back another fist for the third time it seemed, and Kazu still on the ground, laughing. And 'him' in front of her.

The maroon headed boy hissed in elation. He bared his teeth, his lilted eyes flaming up in lime hues.

In all, it should have looked ridiculous, something out of a movies special effect, but Hinata was more or less frozen in acute terror.

Stuck in a nightmare.

A daymare.

"Enough! "

Another figure flit in between Neji and the pack of the Inuzukas.

One of his hands crushed the curled fist Touru had been pushing back while his other stuck into the soft unprotected abdomen of the lilted eyed boy who had been seconds away from grabbing Hinata. Lee surprisingly made another appearance, climbing back agilely on to the roof, a mixed expression of irritation and awe rolled into one.

Hinata had the grace to look up at the exact moment the lean figure turned to Neji's side, and she figured fate was trying to tell her something. She had been seeing him everywhere these days, whether or not they were on good terms.

Uchiha Sasuke.

He looked less furious than he was exasperated, a certain line of vexation drawn into his chiseled face.

He spoke in a less composed tone; he growled his words out apologetically.

"…call it a truce Hyuuga. "

Neji was still in his elastic stance, his back bent forwards and arms curiously slack, eyes fixated on not Sasuke but the Inuzuka pack that stood behind. He snorted, and muttered out:

"I don't see why I have to go along with that. "

Hinata saw yet another blotch of red appear on Neji's delicate skin, and she realized he must be a little more enraged that he appeared to be. Sasuke's words were a little more composed this time. He took care to level out the livid undertone that rang in his voice.

"You will, because your girl made a mistake first. It's even. "

Neji straightened up, but his eyes remained the way it was.

Ghost eyes; Hinata eyed the veins and dilated pupil in half horror and half curiosity.

"Accidentally falling into your den is a bigger mistake than forcing an unwilling unarmed girl into fighting a full wild pack of Inuzukas? "

Neji retorted.

Then noticing the strawberry-blonde boy amongst the maroon heads again, he groaned inwards. He added:

"…mostly Inuzukas. One Haruno. "

Sasuke's lips curled in distaste as he whipped back to concur. He turned back.

"It's not our obligation to pick out the ones we do not need. "

Lee scowled.

Sasuke continued.

"It seemed you've already done enough damage…"

He was eyeing the blood splotch hanging off Kazu's lips, and his agonized but arrogant expression, his hand on his chest. Neji shook his head.

"It is him who made the bigger mistake. I offered a negotiation first, and …"

"You? You offered a negotiation? "

Sasuke asked in a skeptical tone, and Neji let out a gusty sigh, speaking in a frustrated voice.

"She, wasn't', supposed…to know. "

Sasuke raised a deadpan eye at Hinata, who sat like a bundle of collapsed clothing on the cold concrete floor, her face a mask of mixed emotions: confusion, relief, curiosity and most of all, fear.

Her eyes did not register anything but her own terror.

"…she is a naïveté? "

Sasuke swerved to peer at Hinata, his face registering the obvious trauma she was going through. In revelation, he murmured to himself:

'She was a naïveté…'

"Thanks to him, not anymore. "

Neji glared at the crippled figure that was being moved by his cousins.

"By right, I should kill him. "

Sasuke eyed the scene without so much as a change to his face, and answered after a moment.

"Then go ahead. Kill him. "

Everyone stopped moving, and Hinata lifted a dazed face, trying to figure out if those words were truly being said. It sounded like a line out of a bad movie.

Neji questioningly frowned at him. The Inuzukas all tensed, Lee's head snapping from his hangdog position, his eyes as big as saucepans. Kazu remained limp, choosing silence over protest.

For a second, Neji seemed to actually contemplate doing so…but then he turned to face Hinata, who was still crouched on the floor, pale as a ghost and tears streaming. Trembling visibly, she slumped on to the wall, face bowed down.

She threw up.

Neji spoke thoughtfully, regretfully.

"…next time. "

Sasuke raised his brow in surprise.

"Not in front of her. "

Neji quickly added, a dark look clouding his face. What was he going to tell Hiashi?

The Inuzukas seemed to relax, and they moved off quietly with Kazu in tow.

"If he screws up once more…he's mine. "

Neji muttered in dissatisfaction. Sasuke nodded seeming almost bored.

"…go ahead. Truce? "

A hard silence.

"Truce. "

The next time Hinata raised her head, there was no one else but Neji standing in front of her.

The veins and the eyes were gone.

He mouthed apologetically:

'I'll…explain later. '

She blinked; two Nejis…no, was it three? They were all beckoning her, holding out a hand…no…three hands?

"Neji, she's fainting. "

Another voice, a female voice.

As she slipped gratefully into unconsciousness, Hinata felt the cool arms of Hyuuga Yurie supporting her.

* * *

**(bloodiedsugs's words on WNSS—**

Too much action? Not enough SasuHina?

Well… I'll have the plot before relationship…or else it's going to fall apart.

Bear with me. )


	6. Fractures

"_**The White Nights describes the few weeks around the summer solstice during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. The sun does not set until late at night, and twilight lasts much longer."**_

* * *

"Did you hear? There was a commotion up there on the roof today. Hyuuga against Inuzuka with the Uchiha intervening later on. I heard they were on the brink of fighting. "

Tapping her pen on the file, Temari informed the figure that was seated across her, his legs crossed up Indian style and his head tilted back against the chair. She noted the fact that he had his eyes closed. Not responding, he flicked a small round object at her without so much as a tremor in his body. The eraser flew obediently, almost as if by magic, its amazing mobility only tainted by the fact that a thick obscure line was hoarding it up in the air.

Shadows.

The eraser fell on top of Temari's pen, leaving a jagged mark on the paper. She sighed, then remarked:

"Well? Any reactions here? "

A corner of his lips twitched, apparently amused.

"What kind of a reaction are you waiting for? "

"Any. "

The figure suddenly stretched, uncrossing his legs and straightening up in his chair.

He had tied raven hair that spiked up in the back, and eyes coal-black enough to match the Uchiha. He seemed tall—actually was tall—but moved about in a laid-back manner that somehow created illusions that he wasn't as tall as he was. A naturally assumed commanding air surrounded him, marred only by the idle languid way he held himself. His intense but half-closed lids focused on Temari, his hands finding themselves jabbing inside his pocket.

He leaned forward and spoke calmly.

"It's over now, isn't it? "

"Yes. "

"No deaths? "

"Yes. "

He sat back again, eyes closing.

"Good, I don't have to interfere then. It's troublesome enough without all the daily skirmishes… can tire the living hell out of you. "

"Shikamaru! "

That wasn't the reaction she had been expecting.

Exasperated, Temari chucked the pen she had been writing with at her boyfriend's face.

But before the pen could do any damage, it stopped midair, hovering directly in front of Nara Shikamaru's amused face.

She crossed her arm touchily and eyed him skeptically as the pen slowly found itself back on top of the paper. It started writing on its own, compelled by Shikamaru's absolute control; he himself had not moved an inch.

It wrote:

'Send the Inuzukas up to me later. Separately. '

* * *

**White Nights: Summer Solstice**

**Chapter 1- Leviathan**

**(Session#5- Fractures)**

* * *

Lights. Fluorescent lights.

Familiar fluorescent lights beckoned her back into reality.

A shaky Hyuuga Hinata suddenly sat upright, her eyes flying open almost desperately. Her arms flew up impulsively to shade the light, mistaking it for the lights of a surgical table. Hyuuga Yurie placed a quick hand on her shoulder, reassuring her.

"Sht, Hinata sweetie, it's okay. "

Yurie smiled at her warmly. Hinata slowly lowered her arms, a dazed look on her face, later gradually replaced by horror.

She remembered.

"Y…Yurie… I was…? "

"Just a little dizzy that's all. There's no need to be alarmed. "

Yurie looked too polished and composed to have known, Hinata thought. Her chicklet-white smile and assured movements indicate that.

Or perhaps she was putting up an act.

After her initial surprise, Hinata finally had the sense to look about her surroundings. Her eyes blinked twice as she took in the minty green features of the compact room with the comfortable bunk beds to accommodate sick student. A large glass cabinet with what seemed to be filled with pills and first aid kits took up a corner, and to the right, there was a desk with strewn about files, stamps and slips for students who were taking a bed rest for the period. A bittersweet medicinal smell hung about the place—subtler than a hospital's, but not quite.

She was in the nurse's office.

"…t…thank you taking me h…ere."

Hinata mumbled out hurriedly, her eyes focusing intently on the sheet that was thrown upon her. She felt the bed capsize slightly as Yurie sat herself down on the edge of it, her hands fanning out sideways.

Yurie spoke.

"Actually, the real one you should be thanking is Neji… "

Hinata's head involuntarily snapped up. For a moment, her mind was filled with the images of what seemed like years ago, the ghostly eyes and the lime glow. The teeth.

She felt queasy.

"Well, he did carry you all the way down here by himself, all eight floors of it. "

Yurie added, peering at Hinata sideways to see her reaction. Hinata nodded numbly, biting her lips. An awkward silence ensued, with Yurie determinedly reticent and Hinata

Pale, engrossed in her thoughts.

A sudden voice intervened the moment, the briskness of it startling Hinata. It was the nurse.

"Well, for a girl who'd experienced sudden fainting, you seem perfectly fine to me… a little poorly looking, mind, but nothing that a nice nap wouldn't have fixed… so it means, young lady, there's no reason to miss class. "

For a woman with such a jovial face, she was strict.

Hinata raised herself shakily out of her bed but was subdued by Yurie.

"Y…Yurie, I'll really be okay… the nurse said so. "

"…Hinata…I'll, Neji will… explain things later. "

Hinata pointedly ignored this, wishing her ears could block out noise that really wasn't necessary.

She stressed the fact that she wanted to get to class to the reluctant Yurie, who promised she could get Hinata out of class for at least another period. Hinata wanted a tasted of reality, something that was tangible enough to prove to her that what happened up there at the roof…never really happened.

But she should have checked what her period was.

* * *

Lit class.

Hinata sat numbly, terrorized by her own wild imaginations, and even more so by the real terror seated calmly next to her.

Now that Sasuke knew she was no threat, he seemed to be less infuriated by her presence, and more curious. Still, it did not mean that he would make any attempts to socialize with her, because whether or not she was useless, she was still a Hyuuga, and associating with a Hyuuga was intolerable.

"It's a truce. "

He whispered. It did not seem like he meant it menacingly, but for all that she had seen, for all that she knew he was capable of, there was enough reason for Hyuuga Hinata to be thinking of this comment as anything but threatening.

"Your cousin had been speaking the truth…for once. You possess no power. You're nothing. A nobody in this town. "

"…y…y,yes. "

"Killing nobodies is shameful, even if it's a Hyuuga. "

"Y…y…."

Killing nobodies. He probably thought it was a reassurance, but to Hinata, it was close to a deeper threat.

He could have killed her.

A sharp intake of breath, the revelation reduced her to pieces. She barely heard Kakashi sensei's lecture, and he glanced over to her table a few times with a knowing look, his well-shaped eyebrows arching. But he did not call on her.

Uchiha Sasuke ignored her for the rest of the period, looking strangely satisfied.

* * *

A figure stood quietly behind the walls next to the freshman's room. A rabble of voices floated out, too small for others to hear, but he heard. As stealthily as possible, the figure crept up to the door, his tousled maroon head gently leaning against the wall.

He heard his cousins' voices.

"A Hyuuga without any power? Is that true? "

"I don't tell lies. It's true. "

"Really? Jesus…"

"Ridiculous… how do the Hyuugas put up with him? "

"Her. It's a her. "

"Her! "

"Wow…so they're like…keeping her pampered? "

"Why should they? She's a know-nothing, useless to the core. You know how they are."

"Not exactly to the Hyuugaas perhaps. Look see? I heard Hyuuga Neji took out Kazu's rib the other day… all over that little naïveté. "

"Stupid! Course, Kazu must've provoked him somehow but… What did the Uchihas do? "

A pause.

"…nothing. "

Inuzuka Kiba's expression darkened.

Sasuke did nothing?

* * *

Rain dripped steadily, a rhythmic drumming sound of the droplets hitting the window echoing in the house. It nearing four pm, and the house was still mostly void of human life for school had not ended for the day yet, considering extracurriculars.

Hyuuga Hiashi sat at the huge empty table with a frown.

"Father. "

Neji appeared quietly, suddenly on the other side of the window, his tall lean frame easily fitting through reasonable gap and landing on the floor with a soft thud. His hair and clothes dripped with moisture, seeping about on the floor.

Hiashi spoke coolly:

"…was the door not to your liking? Because you're dirtying up the floor that Mrs. Yukimura swept and wiped just an hour ago. "

Neji put up a grimacing apologetic smile, his hand brushing up against his wet shirt.

"I supposed the Inuzukas were on surveillance again…watching our house and all. Of course, they'd have thought I was still back at school, overseeing the team practice. "

Hiashi raised a brow.

"And you're here instead of there. Because? "

Neji paused.

He wished there was such thing as the right time to spring out the news to his father, that after barely weeks, the secret was half out. Not all out, but out enough to ensure that Hinata…probably won't be leaving town. Enough to ensure him once again that this was a crazy idea.

"I wanted to warn you. I wanted to tell you that this was a bad idea…"

Neji spoke cautiously, his serious eyes narrowing. Hiashi's own pair of eyes, so similar to Neji's, narrowed.

The kitchen clock suddenly rang out in various sounds of bird tweeting and bells ringing, a novelty that Yurie had found in the flea market and brought home for fun yesterday. Its loudness had barely made itself known before Neji's fist was through it. The broken remnants of the clock scattered about on the floor messily, a screw rolling over to the puddle Neji had produced.

"…you have to learn to keep your temper better than that Neji. "

Hiashi commented wryly as if he knew nothing.

Neji grinned bitterly.

"Father, she knows. "

* * *

**(bloodiedsugs's words on WNSS—**

I had been busy with the finals… sorry I haven't updated for so long.

Right…Oh I'm also sorry, maybe I haven't been clear or precise with my writings…

Don't you guys recognize Neji's conditions?

It's Byakugan, lol.

And the red glow that Sasuke and Miharu has?

Sharingan.

I do understand why people were confused about the Inuzukas, though… I'm trying to make their battle techniques as close to their originals in the real anime, but I couldn't help adding and making huge adjustments… so basically they're not werewolves; sorry if anyone wanted them to be… they're just…them.

PS: ^^ you read naïveté like: Na-ee-vet, but with that extra flourish on the E, it might as well be: Na-ee-vet-te (reading 'te' like you do tennis) But I prefer the shorter way.

PPS: strictly speaking, I do like it that people enjoy my story, but there's no way in hell I'd change any of my plot to their liking just because I'm…losing fans? Simply, I'm writing for my own sake, I'm selfish like that. So sorry if you don't see me making any changes, I'm just going to write the way I want.

Bear with me. )


	7. Beginning

"_**The White Nights describes the few weeks around the summer solstice during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. The sun does not set until late at night, and twilight lasts much longer."**_

* * *

"Ni-sama? A Hyuuga Naïveté? "

There was almost an amused lilt underneath the incredulous tone. Uchiha Miharu watched unbelieving as Sasuke quietly took in everyone's reaction without replying.

A figure that sat closer to the door on a bent chair growled.

"That's what he said; you got no ears? "

Uchiha Miharu at the pertinent Inuzuka, but Kiba seemed to be at his worst mood today, moodily edgy and frustrated, snapping at anyone who dared cross him. Like a grouchy dog that did not get his dinner, Miharu thought pointedly, her small slender arms crossing in contempt.

Sasuke continued.

"…that girl. The one that sits next to me in Hatake's class; she's the one. "

"Ooh, that one who always looks like someone's groping her underneath? "

A voice piped up sassy and lucid in its own way, its tone obviously condemning.

A girl sat a few seats away from Miharu, a sophomore girl who had obviously shortened her uniform skirt past the school dress code. She had bubblegum pink hair, and was primping herself while she spoke, peering into a small compact that she held in front of her. Miharu eyed her disdainfully, her small perfect lips thinning into a line. She disapproved of the Haruno family; they tended to focus on immaterial matters, like one's attractiveness, for example. The girl probably spent every living hour in her life preening before a mirror.

Kiba jeered, his lime lit eyes narrowing as he spat:

"You have something against her, Haruno? "

Haruno Sakura looked scandalized, her drawn eyebrows arching and her posture rigidly straightening.

"She's a 'Hyuuga', Kiba. That reason enough for you? What's gone into you, doggy boy, you're in such a crappy mood! Stop biting off my head. "

She whined, poising her hand over her clutch bag and deftly picking out a lip gloss—Maybelline. Kiba leaned back into his seat, hands unnaturally stiff, the lime glow never leaving his eyes.

Sasuke eyed this with silence, then spoke to himself.

"She's an anomaly, I'll give her that much. "

* * *

**White Nights: Summer Solstice**

**Chapter 1- Leviathan**

**(Session#6- Beginning )**

* * *

To Hinata's shameful relief, Neji was missing from his usual waiting spot at her lockers.

School was out, and everyone was shoving papers and cramming books into their backpacks before the girls slunk arms around their friends to chat and the guys went off to shoot some balls before having to go home. Tenten was no exception, and for some reason, she stood waiting for Hinata instead of having gone with her usual crowd of bubbly chatty girls.

"Hey Hinata! "

She chirped, her hand clutching the straps of her purple backpack slung over one shoulder and her other hand reaching out for Hinata. Hinata took the hand and forced herself to smile and act normal, though she could not gouge why Tenten was waiting for her.

"So… I guess your cousin's out overseeing team practice? "

Bingo.

Hinata, for the first time after the mind-numbing experiences of the day, stifled her urge to laugh. Tenten seemed to have a crush on Neji, and seemed to enjoy Hinata's kinship with him as much as she enjoyed her friendship.

"Y…yes. I think so. "

"Well anyways, you wanna wait for him or what? "

Hinata could definitely see her friend desperately wanted a glance…or at least some acquaintance with her absent cousin. It wasn't so much hints as obvious blatant pushovers. As much as she did not wish to see Neji, Hinata felt like she could not refuse.

She had had enough encounters with girls to know how thin the line was between friendship and cattiness.

"S…sure. "

"Let's go have a soda at the caf and come back for Neji senpai! "

Perking up, Tenten slinked her arm with Hinata's and gabbed on about the day, how that Haruno Sakura was showing off her new tote bag and didn't Hinata think she was a bit of an attention whore? Also, it seemed Kakashi sensei had gotten engaged—worse luck—and plus, didn't Hinata want to see a movie with her on Saturday, and why not Neji come too?

It was all well, but Hinata was having a hard time concentrating on Tenten's everyday prattle. It was easier to pretend that nothing had happened though, she realized with relief—Tenten was all too real and down to Earth for the afternoon's incident to keep plaguing her…that is, it was so until they reached the cafeteria.

Queuing up at the lines—a whole bunch of cheerleaders were present, yakking over hairstyles and ordering lemonades with no sugar—Hinata found the courage to smile and nod at the things Tenten was saying, until all of a sudden, the talking stopped.

"…w…what's wrong? "

Tenten looked peeved and jumpy, eyeing behind Hinata with a sidelong glance.

"Uh…don't look now, but Uchiha Sasuke is looking at you. "

Hinata froze on spot, all too aware of what kind of glance he was giving her. It either would be another death glare or creased brow with a contemptuous look on his perfect chiseled f…

"Hell, what's gotten into him? He's smiling. "

Hinata jumped, her head turning backwards impulsively at its own accord at the tall figure that stood far back across the cafeteria.

Tenten was, in part, correct.

Uchiha Sasuke was looking at her, and he was indeed smiling, but it wasn't the kind of smile that the word 'smile' conjured up images of. He was alone for once, without the ragtag gang of Inuzukas or the somewhat aloof Uchihas at his side. His legs positioned in a manner that suggested he had been passing by, his stood at his spot without moving for the longest time it seemed; it was Hinata who moved first, whipping back forward as if electrocuted. Her breath was labored.

"T…Tenten, that's not a smile, it's a smirk. "

Tenten had the grace to giggle timidly at the tiny squeak of a comment Hinata had managed to make.

"Coming from him, it's a smile. I wonder if he's high or something…"

"…I…I don't think he likes me m…much. Can we move? "

Hinata was acutely aware of the stare boring into the back of her head; without turning around to check, she was certain he was still standing in that exact same spot, smirking.

"Wha…but we didn't get to buy anything yet… oh all right. Look at you girl! You're shaking, look. The state of you. "

Tenten grabbed a hand and held it up to Hinata's eyes to see; she was right, it was indeed shaking. Hinata nodded numbly, biting her lips and praying they could escape quickly from the Uchiha's seemingly penetrating eyes…but to where?

She knew Tenten was pining for her cousin brother, but she did not want to meet him either. A dilemma.

"Oh look, he's gone… Hinata? Hello? Hinata, did you hear me? He's 'gone'…no, I'm serious, look! "

Tenten patiently guided her, practically veering Hinata's shoulders, to see. The spot where Sasuke had stood was empty.

"See? Good, now we can get our sod…"

Tenten had turned swiftly to run up to the counter, but she stopped in her tracks, wearing a look like she had swallowed a vat of poison.

Uchiha Sasuke was standing in front of her, blocking her way to the counter, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a bottle of Gatorade. This was impossible. He had been at the back of the cafeteria just a moment ago, and it would have taken him at least 10 seconds to run the length and duck into the counter line. He was peering at Hinata as if she was a particularly interesting looking rock…but a rock nevertheless.

"…or we could go back up and wait for Neji senpai, Hinata. "

Tenten backed out, shaking her head as if Sasuke was an impermeable brick wall instead of a flesh and blood human being. A corner of his lips twitched when he heard Neji's name, as if an irritating fly had landed on him. Hinata did not disagree, and took a timid step backwards, away from the looming stature of Uchiha Sasuke…and backed into another person who stood behind her. She tripped and fell backwards, her head landing against the chest of the boy who stood behind her; a hand rose and placed itself on her shoulders, steadying her.

Flushing, Hinata whipped back to apologize, when she froze again.

"Hey. "

There stood Neji, mysteriously in presence all of a sudden.

But different from his normal self, he was not smiling, nor was he holding any drink to offer Hinata. He was staring straight ahead at Uchiha Sasuke, whose face had darkened the instant he checked who it was. The grip on her shoulders tightened.

"Ooh, Neji senpai! We were actually looking for y…oh I'm Tamura Tenten, Hinata's friend! "

Tenten's words of introduction tumbled out in a jumble in her hurry to have herself known, but Neji wasn't even looking at her. His suddenly furious eyes were still locked at the Uchiha who stood before him, looking amused for some reason.

It was like they've changed roles; now Neji was the angry one and Sasuke the laid-back.

"Let's go Hinata. "

Hinata, her complexion ashen with fear, had been anticipating a few words between her cousin and her lit partner, but there was none. They merely sized each other up and turned away, Neji's arm suddenly around Hinata's small form, much to Tenten's distress. Hinata jumped at his touch, shrinking from his warmth even as it draped across her shoulders.

Uchiha Sasuke stood perpetually amused at this scene, his usually bland face twitching slightly. Hyuuga Neji turned around and mouthed the words, 'stay away'.

To Sasuke, it was ridiculous in itself that the Hyuugas even bothered to keep the naïveté girl safe; not only ridiculous but also extremely inefficient, wasting all that energy over a useless girl. She had absolutely no use…

Except, that this situation was quite amusing.

He felt more entertained, for some reason, by this small interaction than the exhilaration that he supposedly felt at summer solstice…the white nights.

The only time when if was safe to show.

* * *

The walk back home was not a pleasant one.

Hinata knew from days of watchful observing that Tenten usually took the bus with three of her giggly friends, but today, she walked. Her arm was slinked once more into Hinata's, and she chatted as if she did this everyday. Neji was slightly more subdued, his serious face staring straight ahead as he walked slightly behind them, occasionally nodding to a classmate's wave.

Overall, Hinata should have been relieved that Tenten kept her from having to endure Neji's presence alone, but it was rather overwhelming to have the girl gossiping incessantly, the moment inflating like a soon to burst balloon. Neji was too quiet, too serious. It also was unnerving that he chose to walk a few steps behind; it implied that he wanted observe. His grey eyes weren't necessarily boring into Hinata's back-he was watching out for other aberrations-but it seemed so to her.

Just when Hinata felt like screaming from the tension—Tenten was evidently oblivious to this—Neji spoke up.

"Do you mind if I borrow her for now? "

Neji smiled courteously at the dazed Tenten, who seemed alarmed at the fact that he even bothered speaking to her. She let go of Hinata's hand, completely ruffled, blushing and ditsy. She whispering 'see you' at Hinata with her eyes locked on Neji, and flounced away in the opposite direction towards the bus station. Hinata ruefully eyes her friend's fall from grace, and decidedly avoided meeting eye with Neji as she followed him reluctantly.

Neji did not speak either, but he suddenly reached out for her hand and held it, pulling her closer.

They walked home in silence.

Home.

Neji had Hinata seated on one end of the huge kitchen. He was in the other end, in the manner of an executive meeting.

They were silent, and though no one else was present, Neji was aware that every each Hyuuga that was residing in his/her room was listening, their sense of hearing honed to perfection.

"Hinata. "

It was Neji who spoke first, eyeing the subdued Hinata with a worried look. She was still fazed from the overwhelming experiences that she'd encountered today.

"I'll explain, but it's your choice to believe. If you want, I'll have you out of here by midnight. "

Hinata blinked. This was not what she had been expecting…though it was hard to pinpoint what exactly she 'had' been expecting.

"…t…to where? "

He grimaced; that was the catch. There wasn't really a place Hinata could reside in anymore; her parent's divorce was still not settled, and now that she knew partially what lay beyond the thin veneer of 'normal' life in Konoha…it was kind of impossible to let her free. He juggled some possibilities in his mind, wondering if Hiashi could pull some strings and have her deported to a boarding school. Yes, something like that would be reasonable…and rational.

"But I don't want to leave. "

It surprised him and her, the way her words blurted out without much thought.

"…you don't? "

Hinata gripped the hem of her school skirt, unable to grasp why she'd said so.

All she had running through her mind was the out-of-the-world exhilaration that was left after hours of terrified agony, and the lime glow of a threatening boy's eyes that seemed to exude the words "stay away from this, you don't belong". The excruciating way Uchiha Sasuke stared at her, first with anger, then with curiosity. Neji's apparent wish to gaurd her from something that she wasn't supposed to know. The way everyone regarded her with a sense of detached interest, just for the fact that she was a Hyuuga.

It was worlds away from the mess of a divorce she had left, this town was racked with idiosyncrasies. Unique.

"…ca…can I stay? "

Besides, it seemed like she had a reliable protector right here; though, Neji's dumfounded face did not exactly emphasize this point.

* * *

**(bloodiedsugs's words on WNSS-**

Story is finally starting… after the long drags, lol. Even I was bored writing this session…real sorry about that.

Each chapter will have 6 sessions, with one special extra session tagged along… so basically, 7 sessions for one chapter, a bit like HSBK.

SasuHina's coming. Wait for it.

Bear with me. )


	8. Glass walls of the crevice

_**"The White Nights describes the few weeks around the summer solstice during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. The sun does not set until late at night, and twilight lasts much longer."**_

* * *

_They called them ghost eyes, them ones with those white eyes. The eyes that can see everything, though and out. _

_Byakugan. _

_Then there were the others, eyes red like the devil's. Ones that could read movements, all kinds of movements. _

_Sharingan. _

_600 years ago, a village shaman made a proposition to the two wealthiest pure blood families in town—the one who came out the stronger would be granted eternal life. _

_In those days, people believed in spirits. They believed the shaman had the powers to grant them life. And they were arrogant, confidant of their skills. _

_So they fought. _

_One killed the other, and the rest follows. _

_Whether or not the prize is real did not matter at all. _

_The feud still goes on to this day._**White Nights: Summer Solstice**

* * *

**Chapter 1- Leviathan **

**(Session#8 (extra) – **_**Glass walls of the crevice**_**)**

* * *

(Neji's Past—7 years ago)

"Move…..Move damn it, move! "

Two small bloody hands were clinging at the fallen body of a man, as if to claw him out of a hole. The sky was shadowy and rain was falling down as thick as a sheet. After ten solid minutes of attempting to rouse the man, the boy fell back and hollered with resent.

"Why won't you move? "

The young boy dropped down on to the floor in fours and beat the muddy ground with his balled up fists, rivulets of tears mixing with the rain falling steadily from the sky. His nails split over as it dragged over the

"I…I thought you said we were safe. "

He slumped, knees folding up.

"…you said. You said we were safe now. I thought… it was over. "

Ten minutes, twenty minutes…an hour passed before the boy stirred from his spot, frozen, realizing with a sudden pang of how grey the skin on the body had gotten. Raising a shaky hand, he reached out and nudged the cold bloated skin with his index finger. As soon as he made contact, he yelped and fell back, a desperate kind of fear entering his red rimmed eyes.

"…really? "

He murmured, settling back against an ancient tree, his eyes lost.

"Really?..."

He repeated to himself, unsure of how to react to the situation.

"Are you really dead…?

He chocked out the words with a sudden deluge fresh tears, arms encircled around his soaked form, crouching into a ball. He rocked himself, head shaking, ear plugging out every noise in the world. And every noise in the world shunned him. The rain beat down without pause, drumming softly on the nape of his revealed neck, drenching him, drowning him.

Suddenly, a movement.

His head rising, the boy's eyes burst into light, a translucent milky glow overtaking the lavender pupils, veins gathering at the edge of its form. The hands that was placed around his small body was cracking, its bony structure rigidly pulled taut.

Someone else, someone else was walking among these woods.

Neji stood up limply, his eyes widely searching for the movements. His vision was hindered by the thick rain and tears, and just as he was about to tear apart a tree to see better, an even smaller figure than him walked out cautiously from the dense greenery.

Shaggy sodden raven hair. Navy blue shirt bearing the emblem shaped like a fan. Eyes too black, as black as a sharp piece of jagged obsidian, staring out fearfully, unable to turn itself red.

The kid spoke up, stuttering along the way.

"…hi…my name is Uchiha Sasuke. I got…lost. "

"…Uchiha? "

…they broke the treaty. The damned Uchiha clan, they'd gone back on their words—and they had vowed it too—and attacked when all was supposed to be peaceful, when the darkness finally creeped back into their lives…

Summer solstice had been over…it was over, and yet they still killed Hizaki without…

A flashback.

A month ago, Hyuuga Hizaki, his childhood mentor and almost a second father, lectured on the importance of clemency. Even though the Uchiha and the Hyuuga clan had been feuding for the centuries on end, we mustn't forget that we too must be human. Must be 'humane'. Because the Hyuugas put much credit into being noble, he should always remember, never forget.

'…Hizaki…'

The Uchiha boy looked so innocent, naive. Very much afraid.

No doubt, it must be his first time out on the woods and in the 'game'.

But Hizaki.

Eyes blazing, Neji leapt over in an instance and clamped his right hand on the smaller boy's white neck. Increasing his grip, he held up his left hand to attack. Bluish black bruise marks were already creeping over the Uchiha boy's neck. His black eyes were wide with fear, so distressed that he could not even put up a defense. The black eyes remained black. The kid did not stand a chance.

His fist ran through the boy's shoulder, literally through and out.

It was the first time he hurt someone physically.

* * *

(Neji's perspective)

My name is Hyuuga Neji. I'm the current front man of the Hyuuga line, a junior of Konoha high, the captain of the school's basketball team… and I admit with all due shame: I have killed before.

There are, many things we do not know, many things we are not able to 'see'.

Centuries ago, our family was exulted for being seers, people who could sense a vague outline of the future. We was gifted with seeing eyes, something that enabled us to see beyond what normal people could dare hope to see. And because of this trait, some actually did revere us as gods, back in those times.

In other words, total bullshit.

If what my ancestors said was true, I should have been able to see what wass coming. But I couldn't.

I'd never known that innocent Uchiha kid I'd hurt so long ago would come back as a family front man, a regular monster. He grew almost as tall as I was, and lost the innocent look he used to have in his eyes. Now, whatever I saw before and felt guilty, that element of pureness is completely gone. The bastard's as bad as I am.

And he remembers.

I know he remembers that day in the woods, because of the look he gives me whenever I'm forced to confront him with family matters. It's a curious mixture of half hate, half empathy. Because as much as he does not like it, he knows what it is like to be me.

I'm not sure if I'd left some trauma in there, but there's always been a cloying guilt riding up my back that it had been me somehow, who had turned him that way. Perhaps if I hadn't acted so belligerently—though I cannot think otherwise, regarding the situation—Uchiha Sasuke might have actually turned out into a decent kid, someone whom I could learn to conciliate and negotiate with without the customary out and out conflicts.

When I first spoke of my views, my father slapped me across the face.

Just like that, we'd all been eating dinner quietly, a family meal, when I had claimed that I abhorred my new responsibility as a front man, that I wished to make peace, pacify. An odd silence ensued, then that slap came from nowhere, throwing me out of my chair and on to the floor. Then and there I learnt: loyalty first, humanity second.

Of course, quite a lot of my brothers felt this was too much, and Yuri even yelled at Hiashi and did not speak to him for about a month. But I learnt my lesson well, and I'd never bring up such a stupid notion ever again in front of 'elders'.

But this does not mean I'd forgotten.

I have killed people in my duty and loyalty to my family before, but this is what I feel most guilty about: ruining a guy called Uchiha Sasuke before he learned to shed his innocence. I used to wish I could somehow tell him, show him how sorry I was.

Another stupid mistake. I had forgotten how deep the schism went, the centuries old dispute, the huge crevice that had opened open, dividing our clan for theirs so cleanly. Like a cut from a knife.

But from that incident alone, I feel as if a glass wall had built up. So even as we see each other, we can not hear what we are all trying to say, and things get misleaded and so on and so forth.

Sometimes, we do not know, not even ourselves, whether the strange moisture on our faces is rain, sweat or tears.

Sometimes in life, we need a jolt to show us; this is how you live life. Something changes, and you are able to see things in a million different ways.

Perhaps— and I'm speculating here again, trying to trick myself into thinking I really can see the future—one day, I'd be able to look into the eyes of Hizaki in my mind, and tell him I followed through with his teachings. That I learned to forgive and forget. Clemency. Just my little hope.

"Neji…ca…can I stay? "

This is my jolt, this is my change. This is life telling me something new is coming up, that here's my chance to be able to see the right things again. Hinata's falling into this life might be a mistake, a total fuckup on the big side of the plan…but I don't regret it that it's happening this way. Maybe I can change.

And another arc in my life, begins.

* * *

**(Bloodiedsugs's words on WNSS—**

A little weird relationship Sasuke and Neji has going on, far back in the past. Hate/Empathy is the only words I have of it, because as much as they hate each other (and they're egged on by their family elders to be that way anyways), they understand what it's like to be each other.

So, this is what Neji's rant looks like, if you'd been wondering. Lol. (very different from the HSBK version, where the poor dear had accidentally kissed Haruno Sakura…lmao)

From next session on, new chapter. Instead of leviathan, it's going to be called Moonlight Arroyo…unless I change it again, lol.

Bear with me)


	9. Survival Tactic

"_**The White Nights describes the few weeks around the summer solstice during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. The sun does not set until late at night, and twilight lasts much longer."**_

* * *

"I 'saw' you ni-sama…I did. You might be excellent at keeping your aura dimmed, but you know any Uchiha ca…"

"And you saw what…? "

The Uchiha mansion was engulfed in rain, solid rain. The partially dilapidated—but still as extravagant as ever—house reeked softly of fresh mold. Sasuke grimaced as he flicked a speck of dust from the surface of his chair. Their furniture might be gilded in gold and their family might be filthy rich, but they had to give the Hyuuga's this: The Hyuugas kept their house in tiptop condition. The Uchiha mansion, in comparison, might as well be some haunted shack.

Miharu gave her older brother a timid but frustrated crooning noise, her small white arms encircling his neck. She hung from him from behind, whispering into his ears:

"…you smiled. Why did you smile?... "

"Miharu, get off my back. "

"…I thought we hated all Hyuugas? "

Sasuke merely ignored her, standing up and promptly walking away…taking her with him. She hung from his neck like a spider monkey, her wide skeptical eyes gleaming.

"…Is it because she's a naïveté? "

At this whisper, Sasuke let us a vexed noise as if there was something caught under his throat. His hand took a swipe as his back—Miharu dropped off immediately with two gentle skips backwards—and turned around to bear down at his little sister.

"Since when…did you become so curious of my motives? You are… frustrating."

Her eyes narrowing suddenly, Miharu stood up with a sly lilting look, her thick lashes sweeping her cheek, almost casting shadows. Her voice was brittle this time, but at the same time, mocking. She was walking on dangerous grounds now.

"Is it because you still…regret, ni-sama? "

The word 'ni-sama' came with a different ring this time, and Sasuke's skin turned a shade white. His intense eyes locked on the smaller figure, blazing magenta. Taking a step—the cautionary one where he swooped in and curved off at the same time—he shoved one balled fist down his pocket; something he usually did when he trying to check his temper. Miharu noticed with a flinch, but noticing another aura approaching them, continued without failing:

"You 'never' wanted to be us, didn't you? You wanted to remain a useles…"

She never did get to finish that sentence, for in the space of merely two seconds, a lot of things happened.

First, Sasuke had flung himself at her, covering the wide berth with a stride. His left hand slammed into her small body as he flogged her against the wall, his other fist breaking clean through the wall.

Secondly, as soon as the attack began, another hand shot out from nowhere and grabbed Sasuke's collar, throwing him back. His body flew through the air and crashed against the back wall—approximately 30 meters away—disturbing a few collections of family photographs. Glass shattered and some of the frames clattered noisily on the floor.

Thirdly, the figure that had just stepped in so kindly to end the fight flitted to the mid-section of the wide chamber, with one other at his side, another younger male Uchiha. While the younger male retreated courteously, the taller figure stepped forward to meet the form that was spitting blood angrily at the floor.

"Sasuke. It's disheartening to show your subordinates such disgrace. Remember you are a 'selected'. Mind your manners. "

"…And where are yours? "

Sasuke retorted at the figure, disgustedly eyeing a bruise that seemed to be already healing and half-gone. The figure smiled at him, the two scarlet eyes glowing from the dim darkness, and turned to walk away to the direction of the entrance, where Miharu sat. She sported a purple bruise at her face, and no doubt on her chest. She eyed Sasuke in a new light, a strange mixture of reverence and hate.

The figure approached her side and spoke softly:

"…you should not aggravate your brother so. He's…sensitive. "

Sasuke swore at the comment—he did not take it kindly to be tagged such as 'sensitive'— while the other Uchiha male smirked slightly, a corner of his lips twitching.

Miharu glanced up at the figure by her side, her face a glowing with fervent elation and fear.

"…Itachi sama. "

Uchiha Itachi bore down on her, and smiled.

* * *

**White Nights: Summer Solstice**

**Chapter 2- Moonlight Arroyo **

**(Session#1-Survival Tactic)**

* * *

**(Next day, SC meeting room, Konoha High)**

"Do you know what's ghastly? This 'rain'…makes my hair puff up like some fucking mop. "

Naruto grumbled amiably, his mock-despair face pressed against the cool plastic surface of the table. Temari patiently reached out and grabbed his hair, hard, pulling him upright again.

"No time to be groveling like this, we have work to do, and I don't mean school work…god, where is Neji by the way? I will personally see to it that he gets his comeuppance if he ever shows his face… "

Turning to face the figure sitting in the head seat, Temari slapped her palm down, frowning. When even that did not snap the languid boy into attention, she clapped her hands twice, almost glowering. She spoke tiredly, as if this was a routine that had to be replayed a million times:

"So, Shikamaru. How did the teaching go? "

"…teaching? "

As if he had just woken from a nap, Shikamaru murmured back.

His raven head was bent backwards, impassive eyes staring up at the ceiling. His long legs propped up again the table, he was moving the ceiling fan with his shadows. It cranked smoothly, almost producing wind from the speed in which he spun it. Temari made a strangling noise.

"I thought we already went through this? The Inuzukas! What did you do with them? "

She impatiently leaned forward, her pen rolling away from her in a clatter. Sai picked it up deftly before it slid off the table and returned it to its owner. Naruto slammed back down onto the table again, moaning about humidity and Noah's ark. Shino merely sat in his own glum, all taciturn, his Kendo outfit oddly in sync with the darkened room.

Shikamaru smiled lazily.

"They're under probation. "

Temari rolled her eyes at his euphemistic translation.

"…you put them in a shadow lock, didn't you? "

"If you put it that way. "

Temari leaned back into her chair, apparently satisfied, while Sai shook his head softly with a suffering look on his sallow face.

Naruto grunted and spoke peevishly:

"Why can't you come up with anything new? Come on, I bet those guys are all 'prepared' now… break one rule, shadow lock. Accidentally reveal something to a naïveté? Shadow lock. Eye Temari's chest? Shadow lock. "

At that point, Temari scuffed Naruto's head swiftly on the side, wearing a disapproving look. Still, he continued to make his point.

"I bet those Inuzukas are bored with that punishment. What about that, cool thing you did last time with Haruno Lee? Some sort of this, strangling thing…what was that? Yeah, anyways, why don't you use something like that for once? Don't tell me it's because you don't want to hurt them, I know that ain't the case. ""

After having listened tolerantly to Naruto's advice, Shikamaru rose from his stagnant position and eyed the blonde haired boy, gravely.

"Really Naruto? Make it worse? "

"Hell yeah, why not? "

He did not answer, but made an uninterested face, his mouth shut in a tight line. Sai causally intervened, pointing out to Naruto:

"But what if it's our side that made a mistake? Then Shikamaru would have to…erm. Kindly put us in probation…imagine you made a mistake Naruto. How would you take that? "

Naruto grimaced, shifting from his seat indignantly. He turned once again to the spiky haired boy who was amusing himself by turning the fan again.

"Hey! He wouldn't do that…would you, Shika? I mean, yeah, granted, you do have the position of the Watcher, but you won't pull no crap like that on us…would you? "

"It's his job, Uzumaki. "

Shino suddenly cut in, as if that settled everything. Temari sighed and gathered her files—thirty minutes into the meeting, and still not much had been accomplished. They would have to return to class soon. Sai, ever alert, eyed the watch and started packing his binder. Naruto still persisted with the determination of a dogged mule, standing up and pointing at Shikamaru.

"Oi, Shika! C'mon man, answer me…you wouldn't, would you? "

Everyone stopped moving for a moment, and gawped at the raven haired boy who sat so at ease in the head seat. Looking immensely bothered by his authority—more likely, vexed that anyone should make things more troublesome for him—Shikamaru crossed his arm and crinkled his eyes once. The fan creaked to a stop.

"Wouldn't I? "

The bell rang.

* * *

**(Hyuuga Residence)**

Had she made the right decision in staying?

The question popped into her head the first time Neji crushed her hand with his own and whispered urgently into her face:

"Listen Hinata, listen 'well'. Your life's depended on it. "

Neji frowned, realizing that he had worded that quite badly. He was in a hurry—he had already missed the meeting he was supposed to be having with the SC members…but that had to be forgone, for at least, one day. He gave her a wry smile at the stricken look on Hinata's face, as if to acknowledge how ridiculous and out of reality he sounded.

Because it really was quite out of norm, all this… Hyuuga Neji, missing school to teach his cousin sister of the way things worked in Konoha high.

"Y…yes. You can continue…I, I'm not afraid. Honest. "

Honestly, she was stricken with fear, but strangely at the same time, stricken with wonder. This was a completely different world from the one she left—even though technically, she never left any world at all—and she felt obliged to scoop in every knowledge or warning Neji had to offer her…

It was very very queer, but she was fascinated.

"Okay…well then. Here it goes. "

Neji smiled oddly, then lifted his index finger in the manner of counting.

"One, stay away from the Uchihas. Don't aggravate them, just don't approach them. I should think that's easy enough; you already know the reason why? "

She nodded numbly. Yes. God yes, she knew.

"Two, never tell anyone—and by this, I mean any people that you're not sure that is part of us—about this all…pretend your life is normal. That's the crucial thing. Pretend. "

Hinata suddenly remembered yesterday afternoon, where she had desperately pretended that everything was indeed normal; Tenten prattling away, Neji walking smoothly behind them, her nodding and smiling…

Neji smiled encouragingly, as if he knew what she was thinking about. He laid his big palm on her head once, then retrieved it to raise another finger—three in total. He paused for a moment, his head cocking slightly as if he could not decide whether to give her this advice or not.

"And three… "

A curious look spread through his elegant features as Neji opened his mouth to give her the last warning. It was as if he himself could not explain the reasons behind the admonition.

"Watch out for the Naras. "

Blank look.

Hinata did not get the gist. She did not know anyone with the last name Nara. Actually, she hardly knew anybody personally at school except for Tenten and Neji.  
"…who…is that? "

He forced himself a smile.

"You probably haven't met one yet, but you will soon. Seeing that Nara Shikamaru is student body president of the school… look. He's a good guy, and he don't bullshit much, but… he doesn't have a permanent side. "

"…side? "

She was confused.

It was only yesterday, after her appalling wish to stay, that Neji had begun to explain things to her, despite Hiashi's disapproving.

"He 'chose' to be neutral. He's a peacemaker…or rather, the guy that cleans up the mess after there's been a clash. His family is a hell bunch of brainiacs, and I bet they are being the wisest among our bunch. Anyhow, it's no use trying to get him on one side. Doesn't mean he betrays anyone, mind… just that he doesn't take a side. Peace loving fellows…or so they say. "

Hinata blinked and then swallowed, suddenly remembering the time when Neji had led her to the student council room. That seat she had sat on, had belonged to Nara Shikamaru. Who would have known then, that he was…such a character?

"Nah, don't take me wrong, he's a nice guy…Hinata, you're going pale. "

Neji frowned, his brow folding. Has this been the right thing to do? Comply to her wishes? What if repelling her wish had been the right choice?

Perhaps it's not too late to take her away from here…

"No! I'm fine. B…but please. Just one thing…um. Why don't you…force him to your side? Made him an ally?...I…I thought he'd be more friendly with our side…since you do the…SC together. "

Neji blinked, and then roared out laughing, much to Hinata's chagrin and confusion. He hadn't had a question this fresh since…since…he could not even remember.

"Ah…sorry, sorry about the laughing. Hinata, don't let the SC fool you, running the school has got nothing to do with us being allies… partially yes, but I doubt having run the SC together would make the Naras want to fight with us. "

Neji snorted out laughing again, and just two floors up, Hyuuga Yurie rolled her eyes in exasperation. How tactless of him; poor Hinata must be mortified to have him laugh at her words like that.

Hinata fumbled, trying find the right 'terms' to speak with.

"Eh…then…what if y…you use force? Take him forcefully to your side? "

Hinata asked, remembering the aggressive way the Uchiha boy acted towards his subordinates. She looked up cautiously to see if her cousin was throwing his head back and letting rip again, but to her surprise, Neji was grimacing.

"You try that and see what happens. If we just bother him with a few moves, just to lure him in, he'll just plain outright refuse, maybe play the good sport. But, good lord, if you try and take the guy by force, see what happens to your family. "

"…I don't…get it. "

He had a lot, definitely a lot to teach her.

"The Nara family's in hand with the Suna. Another age-old family mess that's stayed on top for a while. Top, but never a part of the main conflict. And you don't want to get tangled up in that, I swear. "

They sat in silence for a moment, letting the information sink in.

"It's complicated. "

He said quietly, almost apologetically.

Hinata understood.

Life in Konoha was about to turn hellish. Quite complicated.

Got it.

* * *

**(bloodiedsug's words on WNSS—**

Oh well. Is it going to fast now? Lol… I really must stop being so paranoid. Afterall, I'm writing for my own benefit…just for fun.

God, I'm sorry I really don't put much SasuHina…Seriously, it will start, but the problem is that…damn, I always do this. I make the plot so damn large that it often overlooks the relationship thing…it's what happened with DP, NCD and so on…(hahahaha not with How to write fanfiction…lmao, that story has no plot)

PS: ooh. Can you tell I adore ShikaTema too much? Gotta love pineapple head.

PPS: please remember the little terms, if it's fine with you. Like how Sasuke and Neji are the 'front mans' the 'selected' of their families…and Shikamaru is the 'watcher', the 'peacemaker'.

Bear with me.)


	10. Atypical

_"__**The White Nights describes the few weeks around the summer solstice during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. The sun does not set until late at night, and twilight lasts much longer."**_

* * *

"Sasuke, we need to talk. "

A figure emerged from the dark corner of the room as soon as Sasuke entered his room. Narrowing his eyes, Sasuke ignored the form that stood behind him and proceeded to sit on his fuchsia couch. A portion of his shirt was torn from the slight skirmish he had with Itachi.

But the bruise was gone.

"…Kiba. It's curfew. Go back home. "

He spoke wearily, but Kiba was unbending.

"I said we need to talk. "

Sasuke raised his eyebrows at the boy who stood in front of him wearing the most curious expression ever. The tone was too stiff. Inuzuka Kiba was gazing at him in an atypical manner; less reverence and more belligerence. But for what reason, Sasuke was unaware. He shifted his leg and crossed it as he leaned back into the blood-red couch and nodded softly.

"Fine, but make it quick. If Itachi finds you here breaking cur…"

"Why didn't you stop the Hyuuga? "

"…what? "

Kiba scowled; he had blurted that out too fast, cutting off Sasuke's words. No doubt, this was going to get him in trouble later—confronting a superior was unheard of—but he had to know. He'd thought, over the few years staying beside Sasuke; he thought this guy was different from the rest. This guy was perhaps, not so cruel. This guy could be his friend.

Was he?

"Hyuuga Neji, I heard, threatened to kill Kazu…you didn't do anything. Why…? "

Sasuke grimaced; he should've known.

Kiba should know better too; if he knew—and no doubt he did—what led to that little decision, he should know to not confront the decision Sasuke made then, no matter how brutal. He hated to 'chastise', but did so anyways.

"You, as an Inuzuka 'selected', should consider the peace of many before the wellbeing of just your family. If sacrificing, let's say, Miharu would save us from a mass battle, I believe Itachi would, indeed, kill his own kin…and I would too. You know that. "

The breath stuck in Kiba's throat and he snarled out in fury, his lime eyes glowering as he shouted out in spite:

"Well then damn you all! You say that as if you really would! Why so…numb to everything? "

Sasuke jumped up from his seat and adeptly placed his palm across Kiba's mouth, shutting it off. They both stood still, ears alert, eyes lighting up red and lime. There were footsteps trotting softly two floors up—either Miharu or Nahoko—and no doubt Itachi had heard the 'cacophony' from his room in the northern wing of the mansion. Sasuke swore briefly and dragged Kiba towards the large glass window.

"You…need to leave. I'll take care of this myself…so just leave. "

He glared into Kiba's eyes to show he meant it. Kiba dully stared back, his eyes a glazed brown. Sasuke slid his hand off Kiba's shirt and sighed gustily.

"…you shouldn't have been a selected, Kiba. Though it was impossible; you were born with the responsibility…but if the Inuzuka elders fucking cared an ounce about you, they shouldn't have. "

"They 'care'. "

Kiba growled, his eyes narrowing and hands trembling. Sasuke noticed from the rusted blood staining his friend's nails…he had been out hunting. He must have needed to purge out most of his energy before confronting him, lest he lost control and did anything too stupid. But it did not seem as if he'd vented even half of his abundant energy at all, let alone 'most'.

"It's…damn hard, this job. Sometimes, I wish I could just…never mind. But you know, what you are is putting a toll on you Kiba. I wish you'd actually resign. "

That did it. The claws erupted from Kiba's hands as he stood limply, glowering at Sasuke.

"I…what? Resign? Like a coward?...Sasuke, as proud as this sounds, I 'am' the rightful heir of my family, I'm the strongest among all my kin, except for the elders! Why should I…"

"You think that being weak is the only hindrance to your responsibility? "

Sasuke cut in, his deadpan onyx eyes taking no notice of the lime glow that had set in desperately in Kiba's eyes. He reached out and unlocked the brass knob, opening the glass window for Kiba to retreat.

"Caring too much for your own kin…that's a hindrance too. "

* * *

**White Nights: Summer Solstice**

_**Chapter 2- Moonlight Arroyo**_

**(Session#2- Atypical)**

Going to school was completely a different matter now, at least to Hyuuga Hinata.

"…Neji, pull me out…I…I'm not going to be able to take lit. "

"I don't believe this…goody goody Hinata asking 'me' to bail her out of class?

Neji pretended as if this was any normal school day, wearing his good natured grin on his face and holding out a can of cherry coke at Hinata. She looked like a train wreck. She ignored the can and whispered in a panicked voice.

"I…I mean it! What if he tries to kill me? "

There was a sound like spluttering laughter from behind, and another Hyuuga joined them. This time, it was not Yurie.

"Well, Hinata, I doubt the Uchiha boy would be foolish enough to pull a stunt like that 'in class', with Hatake Kakashi watching him like a hawk. "

"Ryuha…! "

Neji turned around swiftly and cuffed the boy who had just joined them on the shoulder, but Hinata hadn't noticed any innuendo about her good looking lit teacher. She was too wrought up about the prospects of meeting Uchiha Sasuke face to face again.

The person who had just commented amiably was Hyuuga Ryuha, who despite his feminine name, was male. He was currently a senior in Konoha high and had been quite subdued the entire stay so far, until Hinata ceased being a complete naïveté. From then, he started being quite congenial and chatty. With his barely neck-length hair and eyes that glowed a deeper shade of lavender, Ryuha was a bit of an anomaly among the Hyuugas. But he did have the customary black hair, willowy frame and the white skin. He was supposedly the head of the debate team before he resigned and let Temari fill his space, and did track, soccer and swimming, all three of it.

"Knowing him, you'd be more concerned that he doesn't take an interest in Hinata. You know how he is with naïvetés. "

Another voice joined them, the cool tone only slightly marred by the fact that it wavered from concealed anxiety.

Yurie had finally joined them, her lengthy swishy hair falling gracefully as she walked briskly to catch up with them, her pace brisk. And Hinata stopped walking.

Neji and Yurie both stopped to wait for her, but Ryuha jogged ahead to meet up with his senior friends, two naïveté boys and a tall gangly boy with maroon hair that looked suspiciously like an Inuzuka…but Hinata could just have been paranoid.

Not all maroon haired boys could be Inuzukas, couldn't they?

"Hinata? Are you okay? "

"…in…terest? "

They both stared at the quivering girl blankly, until Yurie got what was bothering Hinata.

"Oh, no no…sweetie, there's nothing to worry about…it's just that Uchiha Sasuke is…"

She exchanged a look with Neji, as if consulting a husband about whether to tell their little kid that life weren't always happy endings. Neji frowned and shook his head once, choosing to stare intensely ahead and focusing on reaching school.

"…nothing to worry about? "

"Yes, yes…"

"What was it that you were going to say about Uchiha Sasuke? "

"Nothing, really. "

It was Hinata's turn to frown, and she did so while she struggled to keep pace with the suddenly springy gait her siblings adopted. She wished to discuss the matter further, but Neji and Yurie both seemed certain that the matter was closed. It was only when they reached the road that led immediately to the massive school gates that Neji paused and turned around to Hinata with an agitated smile.

He wore his 'serious' face all of a sudden, his face frowning thoughtfully.

"I'll bail you out of lit today. "

He offered—quite kindly— but Hinata declined.

She'd have to survive this; she could not miss every literature class in her sophomore year.

* * *

"Well, well, well… this is a first. "

Haruno Sakura eyed the throngs of students arriving at school from the roof of the building and spotted Sasuke walking alone for once; no Kiba, no Miharu, no other Uchihas.

She smiled at the mirror of her compact, her lips glossed to perfection. It was just too strange, too awkward seeing Sasuke without all his entourage. Once you were a selected, there was no escaping having subordinates swarming about you, asking for directions, backing him when there was a confrontation...and even spying on him.

Just in case he went out of line as a selected; that's what Miharu did.

Sakura's lips turned down in the corners as she thought of the pigtailed, cat-eyed, white-faced wretch of an Uchiha. She hated that girl so bad. It was Miharu who always reported to Itachi when Sasuke made 'mistakes', and it was also she who was usually on surveillance, spying on others.

Uchiha Miharu was smaller than her age, and wore pigtails—Sakura snorted out in contempt—to school…but no one dared tease her or snub her, because she had the Uchihas for her brothers and the pigtails did really suit her. And in any case, it was 'she' who did the snubbing, always turning away pointedly whenever Sakura got close to her.

"Little bitch…"

Sakura seethed, her legs stomping upon the red glazed tiles. It was unfair that every single Uchiha walking on Earth could order around their lesser families. It was even more unfair that the Harunos did not really rank high on the hierarchy of the Uchiha side. She was not satisfied at all with how the rankings went…it almost made her want to migrate down to the Hyuuga side—that Neji guy didn't seem so bad when it came to fair dealings, and he was pretty hot…—but she wouldn't. Never.

Not when Sasuk…

"Oi, sis! Bell's ringing soon, you gotta come down! "

Interrupted from her thinking, Sakrua stood up briskly from her spot and spied her little brother, Lee, waving at her from two floors down. His strawberry blonde hair was whipping in the air as he leaned out from the open window, his mouth open in a large 'O'.

"Coming! "

Yelling back and ignoring the gapes of her classmates, she gracefully jogged down the rigged lane of the roof and lifted herself into the nearest window, grinning to herself. Let the guys get a full view of her pretty thonged ass while she was at it.

But when she landed on the green floor of the school hallways with a clack, she rose to see someone eyeing her with a disproving look on his face.

"Don't go around pulling stunts like that. It shows up too much. "

It was Kiba, his face unnaturally moody, arms crossed. Sakura blushed angrily for a moment as if Kiba himself had looked up her skirt, and then casually lifted up her face, staring back at him with equal nonchalance.

"You can't order me around…you're not Sasuke. "

Her voice was a mixture of flirtatious lilt and catty challenge.

"Our family ranks way higher above yours…"

Kiba muttered with a scowl, but relented and sighed, stuffing both his hands in his pockets. There was no use arguing with Sakura… and besides, he loathed arguing with girls. It just did not seem right to mess with them…except for when that 'girl' happened to be Uchiha Miharu. Then, it was just arguing front to last.

Come to think of it, he didn't even consider the girl a girl; she was just a…nuisance.

"…never mind then. Run along to your precious fucking Sasuke; he won't be interested in you today though, mind. "

He spoke as he turned away, striding down the semi-empty hallway.

Sakura, whose legs had been just ready to spring up and jog down to meet Sasuke, froze. She whipped around to look at Kiba's retreating back, and responded shrilly:

"What do you mean by that? "

He did not stop walking, and Kiba's spiky maroon head was all Sakura had in view when he replied in a dull tone:

"Watch out for the Hyuuga naïveté if you wish to keep his attention. "

* * *

Lit class was only two hours away, and Hinata was panicking. It was breaktime, and Tenten had met up with her with a bright, "How was your day? Listen, I had awesome plans to go hang round the café that opened just across the corner a week ago, and would you like to come with Neji? It'll be so great, I totally promise…oops, I have to go, my girls are beckoning! " Then she was left to her own worries—but at least peace and quiet.

It wasn't that Tenten was her 'only' friend…Hinata did talk to some girls in her class, and got friendly with one or two kind helpful girls in her other subjects…but it was quite hard to erase the impression that Tenten had become her best friend. Everyone who strolled by the lockers would have thought Tenten was Hinata's best friend, with all that chatting and squealing going on.

Hinata herself wasn't so sure on whether Tenten was a real friend. She seemed so eager on Neji, and it wasn't really like she was the type Hinata usually made friends with…she preferred someone quieter and more reserved.

"Hey. "

She flinched. Someone had tapped her on the shoulders.

She turned around to find her eyes level with the person's chest—it was reminiscent of the time when stood in front of Neji…but this person was not Neji. She looked up and find a pair of dark eyes staring back at her, a little bored, if not entirely weary. A pair of onyx, coal-black eyes that reminded her of a certain Uchiha...but it was not him too.

Hinata did not recognize this boy at all, and felt a stab of trepidation. She had been attending the school for a few weeks, and all the students that felt like 'welcoming' the new students had already spoken to her. There was no reason for another student to be chatting her up, especially—she eyed the color of the flag on his chest—a junior.

And by the looks of her classmate who was passing by with the same look they had on when she was with Neji—"What's so special about her that he's with 'her'?"—this certain junior boy was no nobody. She swallowed with some difficulty and lowered her red face, whispering out quickly:

"H…hi. Um… My name's Hyuuga Hin…"

"I know who you are. Neji told me to keep an eye on you. "

Hinata took a double-take; Neji?

She took a deep breath and looked up at the tall boy, when he suddenly laughed easily, giving her a big lazy smile.

"You don't need to look so surprised; I'm not a bad guy. Neji's supervising his team's practice today, and he didn't feel like letting his little cousin sister go home all alone…so that's why I'm escorting you for the day. Not only home, but generally around the school, if you don't mind. "

His voice was a pleasant low tone, words slightly running into each other as he leisurely drawled out the facts.

Hinata blinked at him, saw his raven head with the spiky pulled back hair, saw the easy going idleness aura hanging about him, saw the way his tall frame dominated the halls from the point where he entered it, and suddenly realized she was looking at none other than the current student council president of Konoha High, Nara Shikamaru.

Neji had been right. She'd have met this guy sooner or later.

But she hadn't expected Neji to have made the boy come 'to' her when it was he that who originally warned her. Didn't he tell her to beware of this guy?

"…Neji told you to …'escort' me? "

The word 'escort' sounded out of place, as if she was some foreign envoy being chauffeured to her destination. But Shikamaru looked obviously in place, save for that sporadic riffs in his forehead that perhaps indicated how bored he was with all this. It was a small chore to him, more like.

He did not let it show, though.

"Sure. To speak of which, I don't do this normally. It's just that you're a …naïveté. "

His voice plummeted low at the last word, his eyes gleaming meaningfully as he beckoned her to follow him. Hinata followed him with out a word, mesmerized by the way he walked past the big crowd of students; it was like cutting butter with a knife—the kids parted away easily enough, and all Hinata had to do was follow through the cracks as the kids started to close the gap again. But he did walk pretty fast, and it was hard to keep up.

"Um…uh, excuse me…I,…Nara senpai? "

She tried speaking up as she followed the lofty figure, but it did not seem like he could hear her small voice amongst this din. His long legs took fast strides, and Hinata had to half-jog to keep up with…

A leg.

The leg of a girl who was just running across the crowded hall to greet her friend accidentally banged into Hinata's, and she fell like a brick. She immediately threw her hands over her head—everyone was so occupied, it was highly likely that any one of them might ignorantly step on her as they went along their ways—screwing her eyes shut with anticipation. But there was no steps, nor bumps into her crouching body.

The hall way had suddenly quieted down, even though the bell was still a full five minutes away. Hinata cracked open a cautious eye as she looked up, fully expecting to see Nara Shikamaru's lean frame standing in front of her with a weary expression on his face…but it was not him. A pair of legs stood in front of her face, and there was an outstretched hand, but it did not belong to Shikamaru.

She could have chocked.

It was Uchiha Sasuke.

"…I…uh…"

She vividly imagined him cracking open her wrist as soon as she took hold of the outstretched hand, kicking his heels into her stomach and throwing her out of the window. Of course, she'd never seen him do this, but judging by the way he had glared at her the past few weeks…nothing was impossible. She winced at the memory of the way he had stopped the Inuzuka boy and Neji from fighting each other; it'd seemed an impossible feat.

To make things worse, the calmed crowd of kids started to whisper, a dull drone of soft gossip engulfing her gradually.

"Take it. It's not going to kill you. "

He muttered quietly with a line of vexation crossing on his chiseled face, jerking his outstretched hand once irritably. To anyone who heard, it could have sounded like typical Sasuke tone, but to Hinata, it sounded like an immense threat. She took hold of the hand and lifted herself off the gritty floor, terrified that his hand was going to crush hers as soon as she was up.

But nothing happened.

He did not do anything else after she'd completely stood up.

"Oi, Hinata? "

There suddenly stood another guy in front of her, his gangly height somehow even outstripping Sasuke's—Nara Shikamaru, junior.

Sasuke looked back to spot him and raised his brow in greeting, but did not progress any further from that. Hinata's hand was still in his palm, and Shikamaru eyed it in wariness, imagining Neji balking if he ever heard what had happened…it seemed almost funny, and he was tempted to let the Uchiha continue whatever he wished to do—Sasuke wouldn't do anything out of order while he was here—but he stopped himself.

Too troublesome.

"…would you mind? I need to bring her to someone. "

Shikamaru spoke quietly, ignoring the curious eyes of his peers as he gestured pointedly at the held hands.

Hinata had expected to see some tone of recognition in Shikamaru's voice, but he seemed as polite and casual as ever. Sasuke yielded without any fuss too, enlarging her confusion.

"Take her. "

He let go of her hand as if disposing a wad of tissue, and walked towards her and beyond, heading for the flight of stairs, his eyes not landing on anything in particular.

He whispered as he walked by her side.

"I'll see 'you' in lit. "

* * *

**(bloodiedsugs's words on WNSS—**

I decided to include some explanation for every session, because there seemed to be readers that misunderstood my…motives(?) lol.

So… Sasuke and Kiba resents their positions, as does Neji. A 'selected' as you probably guessed, is the representative of a family that 'attends' Konoha High. (naturally, once you graduate, you retreat to your home and take care of things from there. Itachi was the clan's selected before Sasuke.) A selected is picked from the strongest among the clan whose age is limited to…school age? Something like that. That's why even though there's so many Inuzukas romping around, Kiba's the only 'selected'. Plus, a selected can have authority among all his subordinates, but usually they don't push it. They have the irritating job of cleaning after mini scats (poor Kiba lol)

Also, there's a rank.

I'll probably explain this as I go along, but for the benefit of the readers…there's a hierarchy among the families. In the Uchiha side, the Uchihas automatically exude power over the rest…the Inuzukas are second in rank. And as you probably guessed from poor Haruno Lee's experiences; Haruno is among the last. (though Sakura is slightly 'different'…wait for it. )

And, Nara Shikamaru is the peacemaker, the 'watcher'. He's the one that takes care of clashes in between the Uchiha side and Hyuuga side, so his job is similar to that of a selected, except that he has authority over both sides. He's backed up by the Suna family, as can be seen by Temari staying next to him. There were Watchers before him, and…that's to be explained way later.

PS: since people are anxious to know. Duh~. Of course Hinata's not going to be useless, ^^, that's why she's a main character. But again…wait for it…my stories are too stretchy sometimes, it even annoys me. But oh well.

PPS: to BK Black Knight (who's being wonderful by commenting on a lot of my stories…lol), I've never read shika hina before; I seem to love ShikaTema too much ^^ I like sideline couples…like KakaAnko and…believe it or not, InoKanku (crack)

Bear with me.)


	11. Caveat

"_**The White Nights describes the few weeks around the summer solstice during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. The sun does not set until late at night, and twilight lasts much longer."**_

* * *

"So. What do you make of it, Itachi san? "

The student council room seemed to enlarge and shrink at the same time. Rain was still persistently, stubbornly, continuing its fall for the eleventh hour, and the steady soft drumming of its beat engulfed the chamber. There were not much of any other sounds.

Only three people occupied the room, but it was already stifling.

"…make of the Hyuuga naïveté, do you mean? "

Itachi was sitting regally in own of the chairs. He looked oddly out of place in the artificial chamber of the student council, as if he was an antediluvian anachronism placed in the synthetic modernity of a museum. He 'did' resemble a statue, especially a marble statue carved with care, ones usually decorating the covers of a world history textbook. He would have looked perfect in a medieval castle, or some other cathedral in foggy Britain, but… he did not belong in this room.

He answered without skipping a beat, his tones businesslike.

"She's not a threat, thus, she's of zero importance to us. Almost as if the girl did not exist…That little skirmish the Inuzukas had with Hyuuga Neji was partially our fault, so pass on that too. There really is no problem, Nara kun. Is that all you wished to ask of me? "

Itachi stated simply, his blood red eyes glancing over at the fan which was churning despite the non-blinking screen of the remote. It was just a look, nothing else, but Shikamaru ceased his little habit as he straightened up in his seat. He gave the rainy window a tired dull look for a short period of time, then proceeded to meet Itachi's eyes directly, trying to organize the words inside his head.

But all he could think of was that he did not like being the middle man.

It was troublesome from beginning to end…

As if she'd sensed her boyfriend's strain, Temari clasped Shikamaru's arm with a cool hand, reminding him that Itachi was waiting for a response.

Shikamaru closed his eyes and shook his head once. He remained that way for another few seconds, his hands clasped into a crossed position under his chin. He spoke again, repeating basically the same words with different emphasis.

"I meant, what do you make of 'her' in the presence of Sasuke? "

Itachi's jaw line strained, though his face turned out blank, poker faced.

"I do not know what you're talking about. "

Shikamaru sighed inwardly.

"…Itachi san…I may be too young for you, but I am the current official watcher. The former watcher was kind enough to endow me with all the information he had mounted up during the period he was in the vocation…thus, there's no secret. I know everything there is to know so far—though you do not have to worry, since I will not divulge my knowledge to any side. "

Itachi nodded faintly, barely noticeable, but Shikamaru caught the movement.

"You know how sensitive Sasuke is about the subject of naïvetés… and you know how he'd feel, about especially, a 'Hyuuga' naïveté. "

Itachi had stood up, but Shikamaru continued forcefully.

"Do you think it's safe? Can you control him? "

"That's for the elders to decide. Good day, Nara kun. "

The door closed—no bang, just a click—and Shikamaru sank into the chair with a mock grimace that did not entirely convince Temari. She knew how much it all took a toll on him, even though he was closing his eyes and jokily moaning out with a scowl—

"Why did I take this job? "

* * *

**White Nights: Summer Solstice**

**Chapter 2- Moonlight Arroyo**

**(Session#3- Caveat)**

* * *

"W…where are we going, Nara senpai? "

They had been walking briskly along the now-empty hallways for a few minutes, him walking in long easy strides, and her shuffling hurriedly to keep up. The route they were taking was vaguely familiar, but Hinata had no faith in her instincts when it came to recalling paths.

"Student council room…been there before, haven't you? "

Hinata spotted a vein suddenly throbbing in Shikamaru's temple, and decided to stop talking. He seemed stressed out all of a sudden, but it was just a…'feel', a mood that surrounded him. She really couldn't tell if he was pissed, for when they reached the door, he opened it for her with another big lazy idle smile.

She went in without a fuss, knowing clearly that she'd be late for her next class.

"So, Hinata. I just wanted to tell you about a few things before we get acquainted—no. That sounds bad. Awful phrasing. As if this isn't acquainting anyways. "

He played around with words, his brow cringing, and Hinata could not help but feel slightly relaxed. Perhaps the strain she sensed in him was nothing—she was being paranoid as usual.

"What…did Neji want you to tell me? "

She sat down on one of the seat, and blushed from head to toe when he gave her a knowing smile, saying:

"You do know the best seats, don't you? That's my seat by the way. "

She shot up and tried to offer it back to him, but he placed a large palm on her shoulder and pushed her gently back down.

"I don't mind. Now let's get going. "

He himself plunged down on one of the side chairs—Aburame Shino—and clasped his hands together habitually as he spoke with a drawl:

"I'm sure Neji already drilled this a million times into your head. But since one more time couldn't hurt, I'd say it again: Stay away from Uchiha Sasuke…

Hinata nodded numbly, thinking Neji was getting a little paranoid himself about the issue…Uchiha Sasuke wasn't so bad, if it wasn't for the fact that he hated her family and that he had an edgy tendency to make her uneasy. Besides, after that little incident up in the roof—she was still very much afraid of the Inuzukas—he had been even a little civil. Perhaps being a naïveté wasn't so bad.

Shikamaru was still speaking.

"But judging by the way he looked at you the past month, you're probably well aware of that fact...and you haven't been listening so far. "

"Ye…no, no. I'd been listening! "

Mortified, Hinata emphasized on the 'listening', and stared abashedly at the top of the plastic desk as she listened.

She was about to nod, when she suddenly recalled the way Sasuke had smiled—no, no, not smile, 'smirked' at her, that day in the cafeteria. Her eyes took on a glass-like quality as she remembered how fast he had reached the line, how weird it was to somehow see him everywhere: on the roof of the building, in the hallways, in class…and the way he had offered his hand to her.

There was a certain difference between the way he had acted before he knew she was a naïveté, and after. It puzzled her to no end.

"So that's where you'd go then, and….bad sign, Hinata. "

Shikamaru stopped talking abruptly as he cocked his head back with a soft sigh.

Hinata blushed yet again—she really was getting wound up on her thoughts. She tried to apologize, but Shikamaru cut through her words quietly, holding up his index finger.

"Bad sign. You don't look afraid. "

She paused, then realized he wasn't chastising her about not paying attention.

Hinata jerked her head up in alarm, only to find Shikamaru eyeing her with a half disapproving, half worried look on his face. She snapped into attention, her back straight as a ramrod as she squeaked out:

"Eh…? I, I got it. I'll stay away from Uchiha Sasuke. "

Shikamaru nodded once seriously, and then smiled.

"Hmm. You're a good girl—Neji did say—so I knew you were going to say that. "

Hinata blushed at the phrase 'good girl'—Neji? It made her sound like a kindergartener who had learned to share her cookies. Ridiculous; she will have to bash him about it later on.

"But really, the problem isn't you. "

"…huh? "

Hinata's mouth dropped open slightly at the sudden words he had uttered.

This time, it was Shikamaru who seemed to have gone in a trance, eyeing the walls behind Hinata with a serious look. That 'strain' factor was back, his shoulders seeming tenser and his eyes steely… and Hinata starting doubting again if he was actually really that friendly as he made out to be…or just an amazing actor.

He snapped out of it soon, clearly a master at it than Hinata was. His lips curled up into a lazy smile when he realized she was gaping at him with wary eyes. His voice was really well suited for speaking—a kind of voice that made you want to listen to more—thus, completely ruining the effect with the kind of cheesy line that she'd never expected to hear in real life, save for a bad TV drama:

"The problem is, will 'he' have the sense to stay away from you? "

She did not know what else to say, and did not know what else to do…but she did know one thing.

"…I think…I'm really late for class. "

* * *

"You look eager. "

It was an offhand comment, one that seemed innocent of implying anything.

But there was no way Haruno Sakura could have spoken a phrase like that without meaning something else. Especially to Sasuke.

"You have better things to do than study my face, Sakura. "

They were seated in the side seats in the cafeteria. The place was virtually deserted, for this was the last dregs of the free one hour period the sophomores had left until their next class started. Most of the students had packed away, and were entering classes and taking place in their designated seats while Sasuke and Sakrua sat still.

He deliberately faced sideways, his brow wrinkling in irritation. And Sakura continued to press on.

"Itachi san was very angry you know. Along with the elders. They think it's a bit too much, and I agree too. I mean, a 'Hyuuga naiivete'…

"What does that have to do me looking eager? "

He snapped while his hand slowly crumpled the can of coke he had been drinking into a ball, as if it was made of paper. It was lucky there were not any other witnesses; it wasn't something a normal high schooler was capable of. Especially when he had reduced the aluminum can into a scrap that would have fitted inside the palm of an eight year old. Sakura eyed the motion with guarded eyes, shaking out her strawberry blonde hair artlessly, feigning nonchalance. Her legs stretched out from under the plastic orange chair that dominated the cafeteria as she spoke with a discerning air:

"As long as your interest isn't based on the fact that she's a 'girl'. "

Sasuke glanced at her and opened his mouth, about to say something, but gave up. In that case, he was alike Kiba; some girls weren't just worth the effort of arguing. It was pointless. Haruno Sakura was a little too…self-absorbed to process any information that didn't concern her, whether or not the argument was coherent.

But it helped sometimes. A tactful girl might have reprimanded him for being so obsessed with naïvetés—although she merely would have received a glare from him—but Sakura did nothing of the sort. In any case, she was only interested in three things: her appearance, the impression she made upon her peers…and Sasuke.

The epitome of superficiality, that Haruno Sakura was.

"Well Sasuke. I'm leaving for Caculus; if I'm too late, Ebisu will throw a bitch fit…and also, I don't mind you being interested in that naïveté, by the way. "

Sasuke's head snapped up—if this was his residence, he would have broken a wall or two by now. His knuckles went white from the effort of holding in.

Why was everyone all of a sudden talking to him about the Hyuuga naïveté?

"But I will care if you're 'interested' in the naïveté 'girl'. "

She flounced off before he could respond cuttingly, and he was left to his own devices, staring frustrated at her skipping form. The bell had rung some time ago, and he wasn't about to dash up the stairs to make to Biology in time…even though if he wished it so, he could arrive fast enough to not receive a detention slip.

Sasuke let the ball of aluminum clunk to the floor, sighing heavily as he glowered aimlessly. Haruno Sakura had certainly touched a nerve in him somewhere. He could still hear her point out 'matter-of-fact'ly:

'You look eager.'

He still could not understand, after ten years of living and breathing…'why' the elders had chosen such a girl for his fiancée.

Kakashi sensei was not too harsh about her lateness.

"I'm glad you could join us, Hinata. What is the reason for your tardiness? "

Hinata slowly turned a couple of shades red as she mumbled quietly, something about student council. The room felt hot, as it usually did when she was blushing. As if he had an inkling that she wouldn't come up with a credible excuse, Shikamaru suddenly stuck his head in from the crack of the door, burring his words as he fabricated smoothly:

"I apologize for her delay, Hatake sensei. She had been called up because her father requested her presence; it seems there's a small emergency back at home. I took her up since Neji's out supervising his team and this is my free period for today. "

Hinata nodded again, feeling like a dummy that could not utter words unless its ventriloquist—in this case, Shikamaru, put them in her mouth. Kakashi sensei paused, and then nodded, motioning at Hinata to go take her place. Before she could go, Shikamaru reached out and tapped her lightly on the back.

"I'll be waiting by your locker-Neji's orders. "

He whispered, then smiled as if he was amused as he closed the classroom door.

As she walked down the aisle, she could feel all her classmate's eyes on her. Nauseatingly so. At one point, Tenten even pulled on her skirt hem as she whispered:

"Shoot, you should have taken me along, he's hot—but taken though. "

Half-grimacing and half-smiling awkwardly, Hinata pulled away from Tenten's clutches and walked to the back of the room. She sat down without a word in her seat, pretending not to notice the raven headed figure that loomed next to her. He was doing the same thing.

To her surprise, 'Nara-senpai' was still standing outside the door when she looked up. He was looking in through the frosted glass, blurred by the opaqueness.

"Turn your pages to p.264…"

It seemed like he was trying to mouth words, but she could not tell what it was.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the glass, his eyes reading the words Hinata could not read.

'Don't try anything out of line. '

He felt like rolling his eyes. Point not taken, Shikamaru.

* * *

**(bloodiedsugs words on WNSS—**

o.o I'd actually been worried before, that not many people would read this for lack of SasuHina and…I don't know, it's just a bit of a weird story. But thanks to you guys, this probably would be the fourth story I wrote to hit the 100 reviews mark (HSBK and How to write FF is near hitting 200…haha, they've gone stagnant) …

I just wanted to say thanks =) I loved reading the reviews…(winterkaguya, omg, that was one of the longest reviews I've ever read! thx...except that one with the anonymous writer, who practically wrote a fanfiction of a review, lol)

Anyways, back to the story:

Curfew, in this case, would mean the time Itachi set personally, prohibiting anyone else other than an Uchiha to enter the Uchiha residence so late at night. (surveillance reasons mostly, but it applies to allies too) Kiba would have gotten into trouble (not big trouble, but still, punishment) if he had been caught…but Sasuke prevented that from happening.

PS: argh…timeline is messed up for this chapter, I'm so sorry.

And I'm not happy with how this one came out; it sounds crappy…I'll try harder from now on. Can't wait to get to Chapter 3…Summer Solstice.

Bear with me. )


	12. Quandary

_"__**The White Nights describes the few weeks around the summer solstice during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. The sun does not set until late at night, and twilight lasts much longer."**_

* * *

"What are you playing at, Neji, leaving Shikamaru to take care of Hinata? You know how he hates chores. "

Kankuro chortled as he grabbed a bottle of Gatorade from his locker. Team practice was over for the day, and the locker room smelled faintly of sweat and for some reason, rubber. Konoha High had a policy of providing the clubs with the best equipment they could manage, and the locker room was no difference. Spacious and clean, it stretched on from one end to the other in a stretchy arc—the architecture's creativity in design…or a mistake—and included shower system, huge lockers and basically a hygienic environment.

It also was one of the hangouts for the Hyuuga line, in other words, including people such as Naruto, Kankuro, Sai, Shino, and so on—whether or not they were engaged in sport activities. Just as the fourth floor freshman quarters were mostly reserved for the Uchiha line.

"He was in his worst moods this morning; Itachi paid him a visit you know…or that's how he puts it. I think Shikaku san 'made' Shika meet up with Itachi—must be hell being a watcher…"

Neji frowned as he leapt down the last few steps—the steps had been installed right beneath the shower stalls—and ran a towel through his long hair. Water dripped from the ends of his raven locks.

"What do you mean, Shikamaru's dad made him have the meeting? Is something up? "

Kankuro shrugged and took a swig.

"If there is, I doubt the elders will tell us much…look at me. I'm part of the Suna clan, yet I hardly know anything, don't I? "

"That's because you hardly visit the SC meeting room. "

Neji plopped down next to his friend and absent mindedly snapped his towel on the wooden bench. Kankuro cocked his head, as if thinking, and then grinned in a laid back manner.

"Well I'm not a SC member so why should I drop by? "

"You're part of Shika's team…and in any case, summer solstice is drawing near…it might do you some good to get a heads up on what's going on. "

Kankuro frowned. He aimed the now empty Gatorade bottle at the waste basket, chucked it, and missed. He did not bother to pick it up from the floor, where it went rolling down to the stairs as if in defiance.

As if in sudden revelation, Kankuro spoke apologetically.

"To you, must seem like I'm idling my brains out, ain't that right? "

A slight shadow passed Neji's face, but he hid it by bending lower and toweling his hair.

"What are you on about? "

Kankuro paused, gathering the words in his head. He failed, and shrugged, deciding that talking around the subject would do no good.

"I'm kinda sorry to say this, man, but…I'm glad I ain't one of you guys. Under all that strain but nothing to vent except for fighting? It ain't the kind of life anyone wants to live…I still get live half a normal life. I don't pay attention much to the works until summer solstice rolls around once a year, then I get going…but still. I've got it easy…for someone who ain't a naïveté, I mean. I hardly know anything. "

Neji closed his eyes and leaned back, resting his head on the cool surface of the lockers. What irritated him the most was the Kankuro was speaking the truth.

"But I know one thing. Judging from Itachi's little 'visit' and the buzz around that Uchiha guy,…"

Neji opened his eyes, and saw Kakuro's brown head bobbing a few meters away from him as he bent down to pick up the empty Gatorade bottle that had rolled off course. He aimed at the wastebasket once more—it landed where it was supposed to, this time.

"Something must be up. "

* * *

**White Nights: Summer Solstice**

**Chapter 2- Moonlight Arroyo**

**(Session#4-Quandary)**

* * *

"…what had they been saying now? "

It took Hinata exactly five minutes of contemplating before she realized Uchiha Sasuke actually had asked her a question, without the hard edgy tone. She'd turned to look at him meekly from the side, but he was regally looking forwards, not giving her any eye contact. She would have been convinced he hadn't spoken to her, but there was no other person he would be talking to.

"…t…they? "

This time, he gave her some eye contact as he—without turning his head—frowned. It seemed to be a specialty he had, the ability frown without altering much of his impassive expression—the few delicate lines that had gathered on his brow implied his vexation.

"There must have been something that made everyone paranoid. I wish somebody would fucking tell me why everyone so obsessed with you all of a sudden. "

He had been contemplating on this issue for some while—every damn person he met today was out to get him about this matter. What was so fucking special about the girl except that she as a nobody without a meaning to be? He actually did knew what Shikamaru had been getting at...as Itachi, for that matter...but did not want to think about it.

Hinata shifted awkwardly in her seat, squirming with trepidation.

"…I…I heard nothing…"

"Sure you did. Then why is Shikamaru—the one guy in the entire world who'd too lazy to even breath—going out of his way to warn me? "

Hinata had been guessing herself, how laid back Nara senpai was…but it was still a bit of a shocker to have it put into such blunt words—'too lazy to breath'? Sasuke was still waiting, so she decided to give him an answer, any answer would do better than silence.

"He told me to stay away from you. "

She was surprised the words came easily, and the fact that she had spoken them a little forcefully. He did turn his head this time, and stared directly down at her for a few seconds. This made her feel entirely self-conscious, as if he was examining the top of her head for dandruffs.

"…so he did. As did the rest of the lot, I'll bet. It's good advice. "

It sounded odd, for him to agree that it was good advice.

They remained in silence for the next few minutes, partially because Tenten was giving them odd looks. Kakashi sensei, who normally was incredibly adept in picking out talkers during class, ignored them and did not reprimand. Hinata picked up her pencil and feigned writing while she whispered softly, avoiding looking at her partner:

"…I'm not afraid of you. …I…I think. "

His lips tightened in the corners and he stared stiffly ahead at Kakashi sensei.

Hinata clamped her mouth shut in chagrin and tried focusing on her work. Unfortunately, she hadn't been paying attention to it at all, so while everyone else was pulling out notebooks and scribbling on it, she was still somehow, on page 264.

So was Sasuke.

"You're an idiot. "

He finally spoke, as if that settled the matter. He whipped out a notebook and started scribbling on it as well—it was a wonder he even knew what to do—so that she was the only one left who wasn't doing the exercise. A vein was throbbing away on his taut neck.

Somehow, she didn't feel hurt, that he'd dubbed her an idiot.

He had said it as if he really meant it. And that's why it didn't stick.

Weirdly enough.

* * *

"And how many times I have to 'drill' this into your head; 'no' fighting in the hallways! "

Kiba was, for the hundredth time, reproofing his little brother for rampaging around the hallways. It was not so much that the kid had been 'fighting'…just that his movements seemed too agile, too odd coming from a normal teenager. If even 'Touru', the former troublemaker gone lay-low, had given him a tip-off saying things about his lil bro getting a little out of hand, it meant trouble.

"Aw, Kiba ni-sama, you're no fun. You used to be, but you ain't no more. "

Kei grumbled, and Kiba shot him a death glare.

"I'm not patrolling out here for 'fun', so you can stuff that grin of yours and report to…"

He paused, then grinned—brilliant idea. He placed his palm on the back of Kei's shirt and patted him 'almost' brotherly, speaking generously:

"You can report to Uchiha Miharu. And I hope she gives you hell. "

"…wha? "

Inuzuka Kei—Kiba's little brother, yours truly—made a face as he shook out of Kiba's grip.

"Can't you like…just punish me yourself? "

Turning around and walking away from Kei's dejected face, Kiba grinned for the first time in day—a selfish pleasure perhaps, but one he thoroughly enjoyed. Although he disliked being chastised by another Uchiha, save for Sasuke, he enjoyed sending some of his boisterous cousins and brothers to the more obnoxious of the Uchiha lot, someone like Miharu…or Nahoko, the ice queen of the Uchiha line, but she'd already graduated last year.

"Ki-ba ni-sama! "

"Forget it kid, I'm not letting you off. "

He walked on, adding to himself:

"..and I really hope she raises hell, so you'd learn for once. "

Not a day went by without him having to suppress his cousins/siblings.

It might have been a blessing to have been born with such energy and vigor, but it was more like a curse in disguise of a blessing. Kiba was willing to bet he spent at least half of his energy keeping the rest of his cousins and siblings in control; no other selected he knew had to do that. Matter of fact, Sasuke and Neji both barely had to control their siblings and this was what irked Kiba the most. Why was he the only one?

"…and I think they called on him once or twice before. "

"I thought that; who knows when it would be done? "

Sudden voices he recognized.

Kiba turned and saw from the other end of the hallway, two tall figures coming his way. Both seniors, judging by the flag color. One, was his older brother, Inuzuka Amano, with his crop of maroon hair, and the other, was…

'…Hyuuga? '

He almost choked. There was no mistaking it—there was Amano in all his glory, a Hyuuga senior next to him…the guy had shorter hair, but that didn't matter. He'd recognize that washed up eyes and waxy pale skin anywhere. Was he Hyuuga…Ryu…something. The name didn't matter anyways.

Kiba was seeing his older brother chatting amiably with a Hyuuga.

He snarled furiously when they caught up with him.

"What are you playing at? "

They both paused their conversation and looked at Kiba. When he spotted his livid younger brother, Amano looked edgy at once, but he loosened up his voice and called out in monotone:

"Yoh, Kiba. "

Amano waved at his furious younger brother half-heartedly, his smile straining. While the brothers were exchanging 'greetings', the Hyuuga merely walked away, choosing to ignore this interaction. Kiba wished to snatch a handful of his black hair and rip out his scalp, bit by bit. He thrashed out at Amano immediately, his voice steely.

"You were talking… to 'that' guy? What was he, Hyuuga Ryuhei or something like that? "

Amano thought for a second, and then decided to reply in short phrases:

"Ryuha. He ain't so bad. "

"Ain't so b…"

The words caught in Kiba's throat, and it turned into a growl. He'd never challenge an older sibling, especially in public, but this was such a bomb. Who'd have known an Inuzuka to make friends with a Hyuuga? It was absurd, and out of the norm…not to mention disloyal.

"Y…you're ridiculous… no wonder the elders cut you off the ranks when they were looking for a selected! "

Amano merely glanced at the incensed Kiba, and sighed, as if he wished himself elsewhere.

What Kiba had said was true—formerly, Inuzuka Amano had been considered as the better choice for a selected, but the elders claimed his disposition was 'wrong'. Amano was just too mellowed out even to be an Inuzuka, let alone a selected. He might have not been lagging in the skills department, but he'd been promptly cleared of ranks from early on, and for two solid years, Konoha High had gone by without an Inuzuka selected—a first.

Until that is, Kiba came along.

"Speak for yourself! What the fuck is going on in your head...? "

"Take away the hair, eyes, and his name…and all that's left is a nice guy, Kiba. Don't forget—we're all equals here. "

Kiba exploded. He personally could not believe the crap his brother was coming out with.

"Equals my 'ass'! "

Other students gave him glances as they passed—it was rare to see Kiba so out of form. He was usually the reckless boyish kind, someone who rather romped and joked than fight. The kind of guy who enjoyed jokes on his friends and sports.

Except that the sports line was almost all dominated by the Hyuuga line.

Kiba muttered, resigning to a calmer state, eyeing his brother square in the eye.

"I'm reporting you. "

Amano sighed resignedly, and turned away, walking as he murmured:

"…go ahead. "

"You didn't have to wait for me. "

* * *

The ground was softer and crumblier than it should have been. Yurie stood with her backpack thrust over one shoulder, waiting for Neji to finish packing up his equipments. Kankuro departed with a wave to both sides, and then walked off to the other direction, dragging his bag along the grass.

School was out, and there were hardly any students milling about. They stood in the middle of a wide open grass plain that stretched into three entirely separate fields—courtesy of the school's budget.

"I have something to tell you. "

Yurie replied smoothly as she matched her pace to her brother's. Neji looked at her questioningly, but she did not say for at least a few minutes. When they reached the school gate, she finally opened her mouth cautiously.

"Hinata's arriving here…I think it's causing more problems than you and I know about. "

Neji frowned—that again.

He readjusted the handles of his bag and swung it to his other shoulder. It seemed as if that was the issue for everyone that wasn't a naïveté, nowadays.

That reminded him—had Hinata gone on home in peace? Had it been a mistake, as Kankuro pointed out, to have made Shikamaru babysit her for the day? It was interesting that Shikamaru even accepted the proposition, more so because Neji had offered to hand the job to Naruto if it was too much of a nuisance.

It showed how much even 'he' was wound up on this naïveté matter.

"…what's the problem? All she is, is a naïveté who just knows more than she's supposed to. But that's already taken care of, isn't it? "

Neji questioned into thin air, half talking to himself. Yurie responded immediately, her voice tense.

"With our family, that's the case. But something weird's going on in the Uchiha lines. Have you noticed? "

Neji frowned.

"Noticed? "

Yurie moodily clutched at the hem of her skirt, her legs crossing and re-crossing themselves over and over again.

"Itachi himself had dropped by Shika's grounds. Don't ask me why, Neji, cause I don't know. "

Neji opened his mouth, then closed it, thinker it over. First Kankuro, then Yurie.

This was a first.

"We have to settle this issue sooner or later…and sooner's the better option. Summer solstice is drawing near, and there's no way we'd want this to get tangled up with that…best to get rid of all trouble before the real deal starts. "

Yurie pointed out, her eyes flicking sideward every now and then. She might have looked a tad bit schizo, but Neji knew she was taking a sweep view of the roads before she started talking about the more secretive things. He gave up on 'sensing' himself, and complained with curiosity:

"We might be getting too caught up on this…truth be told, we haven't had days this peaceful since…since never. There's not much clashing on both sides, and summer solstice was what we had for always, so I don't get why everyone's so…uptight, about this. "

Yurie nodded, but jerkily pulled at one of his strands of hair. Neji drew to a stop—he had almost crossed the road at a red light. There was no danger of getting hurt, no doubt, but it definitely would draw attention…Yurie spoke on as if nothing had happened.

"I know it's more peaceful than it's ever been; compared to the past, that is. The former watchers did a good job, as Shikamaru is doing now. Yes, as you say, we're the peaceful generation. "

She skipped a beat as they walked among a throng of students wearing the exact same uniform as they wore. Some of the kids turned to gape at the two lithe Hyuugas, but quickly walked on to join their gang of friends. She continued then.

"But…remember Hizaki's words? "

Hizaki.

Somewhere far, a bird chirped out of tune. And Neji smiled without humor.

"Peace is what comes before yet another catastrophe. "

And so be it.

* * *

**(bloodiedsugs's words on WNSS—**

Eh… I made quota faster with this one, that's why I'm updating faster (quota= usually when comments go higher than 8)

I'm afraid this is going to be yet another 'complicated/what the crap are you talking about' stories… so if you really want to understand it front to back, maybe you should read over earlier parts…(if I was a more skillful writer, I would somehow plug in every detail so it won't confuse you guys…but then again, I'm not lol)

The names are starting to get to me… Just so you don't get too confused:

(these are names of the people that I already mentioned. There are…more. Lol)

Uchiha Line:

Uchiha Sasuke (selected)-sophomore

Uchiha Itachi (former seleted)

Uchiha Miharu (current messenger)-freshman

Uchiha Nahoko (already graduated)

Hyuuga Line:

Hyuuga Neji (selected) -junior

Hyuuga Yurie (Neji's older sister)-senior

Hyuuga Ryuha (cousin brother)-senior

Hyuuga Hiashi (elder)-freshman…lol, just kidding.

Inuzuka Line:

Inuzuka Kiba (selected)-sophomore

Inuzuka Kei (younger brother)-freshman

Inuzuka Amano (older brother)-senior

Inuzuka Touru (cousin/boy)-junior

Inuzuka Kaoru (cousin/girl)-sophomore

Inuzuka Kazu (cousin/boy)-junior

Haruno Line:

Haruno Sakura (selected/fiancée)-sophomore

Haruno Lee (younger brother)-freshman

Nara Line:

Nara Shikamaru (selected/current watcher)-junior

Nara Shikaku (elder)

Suna clan:

Subaku Temari -junior

Subaku Gaara

Subaku Kankuro - junior

(*I know subaku isn't their sirnames, but it's so bare to just say 'gaara'. Lol…you'll see what the sand siblings are for in chapter 3)

AS you all know.

Bear with me. )


	13. No Man's Land

"_**The White Nights describes the few weeks around the summer solstice during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. The sun does not set until late at night, and twilight lasts much longer."**_

* * *

"Hinata, have you been listening to a thing I said? "

Tenten possessively grabbed at Hinata's arm, yanking it lightly in indignant protest. School was out, and they were walking back to the lockers, arm in arm. Or rather, one was holding an armload of books while the other had her arm crossed in the nook.

"S…sorry. "

Hinata wished for the hundredth time that Neji was here, so that Tenten would pay attention to him instead of her. It was fine when Tenten was obsessed with something, but when that object of obsession was taken away, she tended to get a tad more demanding.

"Well it's fine, but you're really out of it today…I mean even last class, you wer…oh my god. Oh my god! "

"W…what? "

Tenten's grip on her arm was suddenly like a vice. She seemed excited by something, but Hinata could not see what or why, and besides, she was almost about to drop her books because of the vice-like grip.

"Look! No, not there, I mean look at your locker…look who's waiting for you! "

Hinata wondered vaguely for a moment if Neji had finished practice early and was waiting as he usually did, but the figure that stood leaning against the green metal lockers was not Neji. He noticed her immediately as she approached him, and raised a languid hand in greeting.

"Hey, Hinata. Ready to go home? "

"…Nara senpai. "

Tenten's eyes seemed to be bulging out, but luckily her grasp loosened, and Hinata managed to pull away from her clutches. She was shaking slightly—she'd forgotten that he promised her to meet her at the lockers…to 'escort' her back home, he'd said. Neji's orders, he'd said with half an amused smile.

Tenten suddenly leaned into her ears and whispered furiously:

"Oh…god, you didn't tell me you were so damn popular with guys. How did you get 'him'? He already has a girlfriend! Bad girl! "

"He's not my…! "

Hinata was half shrieking by then, but stopped just in time, her face blooming into a blood red tomato.

Shikamaru pretended to not notice this interaction and merely greeted some of his acquaintances while Hinata bit her lips and wished to be elsewhere. God forbid he heard that.

"I guess we should be on our way then…are you coming with us? "

Shikamaru acknowledged Tenten with a raise of his brow, and she melted. Her voice had the playful lilt in it, her hands slipping down to her side and coiling against her body.

"…yes? Yes, why not…I, really don't have much work…to do. Not that I don't hang around with my friends or anything, but really, I…"

"We'll going to take a slight detour. Do you mind? "

Shikamaru cut off her words—gently—and lifted himself off the locker he'd been leaning against. Tenten grinned jauntily as she winked at Hinata from aside—Hinata herself wasn't so sure about this.

Then, suddenly, a voice.

"Oi…Tenten!"

"…eh? "

A guy with maroon hair—Hinata stepped back queasily, as she'd come to associate this trait with ominous consequences—approached them with a scowl. He seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, and was tightening his hand on Tenten's shoulder. Hinata wondered if this was her boyfriend—then decided not, when she saw the vexed look on Tenten.

"Mind if I take her for some…talk, Nara senpai? "

"Hmm. No prob. "

Tenten looked furious as she followed reluctantly, the boy—surprisingly a freshman—to the stairs, where he started to speak in a low voice, his eyes somehow rolling back to Hinata's direction a couple of times. Hinata thought it odd; it almost was as if he was…chastising Tenten. Shikamaru himself did not bother discussing this slight interaction, and merely gestured with his hand to follow him.

"Come on. I'll babysit you for the afternoon. "

* * *

**White Nights: Summer Solstice**

**Chapter 2- Moonlight Arroyo**

**(Session#5-No Man's Land)**

* * *

"I've been wondering Hinata, do you know that girl very well? "

"Huh?..Tenten, you mean? "

Instead of a reply, he nodded once, his eyes vaguely trailing over the crowded hallways that led to the main door. The clock read 5pm, a little over the time school ended, but most of the student body still remained for their extracurriculars. Kids milled about with basketball jerseys over their t-shirts, hockey sticks thrown over their shoulders and laptops. The only ones walking out of the school was a distinct minority, most of whom decidedly forwent club activities…except for Hinata and Shikamaru.

"Um…I think so, yes. She's been my friend since the first day of school. "

She spoke carefully, wondering again if that was true. Yes, Tenten was a friend, but she was a peculiar sort. She already had her own gaggle of 'girlfriends', and flitted in and out of sight during the day, never endowing Hinata her complete presence.

She checked to see Shikamaru's response, but he looked beyond with a blank look on his face, almost as if he had not asked Hinata a question. They walked the length of the faculty parking lot to the back gates, as opposed to the main gate. After some time, when Hinata decided he wasn't going to respond, he spoke softly, almost to himself—

"Well. If Neji didn't talk to you about it, that's fine. "

Hinata looked down in confusion, swallowing back a nervous lump in her throat.

Was Tenten someone to be wary of?

It did not seem likely. She was as close to a naïveté as Hinata could imagine her to be.

She apprehensively chewed her lips, unintentionally even drawing blood. Licking it off as quickly as she could, she glanced sideways to see if Nara-senpai had noticed, but he was still walking with that faraway look on his inexpressive face. He suddenly came to an abrupt stop just outside the back gates, which led to an alleyway that opened out—amazingly enough since this was supposedly an urban town—into a forest. He halted with the intention of remaining there for a prolonged period of time, even going as far as setting himself upon a tree stump that had moss covering its side. He motioned her to come closer, and she meekly did so, standing awkwardly next to the tree.

"Anyways, I'm basically going to explain a few things to you…mind the place? It's one of the only places we can ensure no eavesdropping or snooping. "

"O…okay. Sure. I don't mind…! "

She squeaked her last words out, her brain still sending warning signals due to the lucid memory of Neji's words—be wary of that guy, Nara Shikamaru. …why had he assigned 'Nara senpai' to teach her things, if he was someone to be cautious of?

While Hinata was half drowning in inner toiling, Shikamaru blandly started to speak fluidly, without any introduction or preparing.

"Okay. I'll start off with the basics and the major aspects in this, because we need to take care of whatever's right there in front of us. Basically: soon, in just about a week, a battle called White Nights battle is going to be held. In Konoha. "

Battle.

They fought? She had assumed it was figurative speech...

Hinata bit her lips—she recalled hearing Neji and a few other speak of the words 'battle' and 'white nights' a couple of times, but they never went so far as to explaining her what any of those were. In any case, they would swift topics so rapidly that she wondered whether she'd heard right, or they merely smiled at her and moved off elsewhere to continue their discussion. It used to irk her and worry her at the same time…but simultaneously, she had thought "that doesn't concern me." Perhaps it did.

As if an afterthought, Shikamaru added seemingly insignificantly:

"Actually, in this forest. "

Hinata jumped and pressed her back to the bark of the tree she was standing next to, almost expecting a Sasuke or a Kiba to jump out of the thick trees and start hacking her into tiny pieces. Shikamaru smiled indulgently as if he knew what images were flipping through her mind.

"Nah. It's the safest place to be, this forest, unless we hit summer solstice…then anywhere but here would be safe enough. "

He stretched his long legs out, then continued:

"It has a pretty long tradition… 600 years plus to be exact. It took generally decades to master and organize whatever chaos this had rooted from into something actually systematic. Okay, I don't know how much Neji had already told you, but I'll assume he already mentioned my clan is neutral. The Nara and the Subaku clan. We're the neutral side, and in turn, we form the 'watcher team'. "

Watcher…

Hinata stared at Nara-senpai's face with determined curiosity, but it was getting slightly complex. Slightly too complex. He continued, nevertheless.

"Over the years, as the Hyuuga clan and Uchiha continued their clashing, they realized that there was something crucial missing in their battle—and that was rules. Without a 'third' party to manage their battles for them, they could not help but head to absolute chaos, since each side wanted to have the battle to their advantage. So…in about 15 years after the first battle began, the heads of the Uchiha and Hyuuga clan met up with ours, the Naras. We had declared neutrality from the beginning, so we hadn't had much trouble up till then. The heads requested our clan to participate in the battles…as a supervisor. And since we…disliked having the entire village plunge in to pandemonium just because the battle lacked supervising, we took the job. Therefore, the term 'watcher' was born. We were mostly watchers since the beginning of the battles…except for a few exceptions when there wasn't a possible candidate for the job, and some other family took it. "

He paused, waiting for Hinata to soak it all in.

"Anyways…the school we attend, is more like a mini combat zone than a school. Whatever peace you see there, it's phony. Every single family has their own turf, dividing into two big areas according to which line you belong—the Uchiha or Hyuuga. Me and three others…"

Here, he took a breath then, and raised three fingers.

"Temari, Kankuro and Gaara, the Subakus, are part of the watcher team, supervised by me. We're the neutral side, so we get the 'privilege' of walking on any grounds, whether it be Hyuuga or Uchiha. "

Hinata ventured a question out of curiosity, meekly raising her hand. She was surprised at herself—she expected to be either afraid or indifferent to the talk, but she was feeling intense interest. He nodded his chin lightly, clamping his mouth shut as if he felt he'd talked too much.

"I…I'm just curious about. What's the watcher team?... "

She got that they were 'neutral'…but it was hard to imagine what they did.

Shikamaru simply nodded, then replied easily:

"We're the mechanism that…'makes' the summer solstice thing happen. Rather, we don't engage in the battle. We only supervise it. Think of the watcher team as a referee and battle stadium rolled into one. "

Hinata's brow creased.

"S…stadium? "

He laughed out loud shortly, and stood up.

"I know that sounds odd, but…you'll see. We each have our roles…only that some of us have more on our shoulders while others carry the bare minimum. "

Hinata felt slightly braver by his laugh, and asked immediately:

"…which one are you? I mean…um. Do you have….much work to do? "

He stared at her for a second expectantly, his eyes turning blank again. She froze, her nails digging into her palm—that face again. Perhaps she shouldn't have asked the question…

He smiled again.

"I'm quite lazy—I doubt I'll be able to handle any more work than I do. Now, let's go…we're only on the edge of the forest. I need to show you something 'in' there. "

He briskly started walked, those long strides again, and Hinata struggled to keep up. It was only when she mulled over what he'd said, that she realized…he hadn't really answered her question at all.

"W…Where are we going, senpai? "

"To no man's land. "

"No man's…? "

The phrase reminded her of a pirate with bushy hair and one eye, hollering, "Ye treasure be buried down at No Man's land…" The image made her want to chortle hysterically and cower at the same time. Shikamaru was ahead of her, but he seemed to notice she was confused by the phrase.

"We're… kind of already in it. This forest is 'called' No Man's land…named by the founder of Konoha. Guy with practically no sense of humor and a pessimistic outlook on life, I'd bet—what kind of a person name's a forest No Man's land? "

She giggled weakly, thinking the words had more implications than what he was making out to be—instead of pessimistic, it sounded as if the man had tried to be realistic. Maybe he had the premonition that one day, the forest would be used as a battleground, as absurd as that sounded.

It was just a simple forest, smelling of pine cones and dew. It had a rich earthy fragrance similar to one you could smell after a rainfall, that overwhelming scent of wet grass—but it hadn't rained at all in the past few days. The greens had gotten incredibly thicker in the short span of time they spent traveling into it, almost doubling in density until everything she saw was a bizarre mixture of green and brown.

She couldn't see the sky.

It scared her.

* * *

Over fifteen minutes, into the walk, Shikamaru stopped short, frowning. Hinata welcomed this abrupt halt, bending over in fatigue—he truly walked too fast.

"Hmm? What is… he doing here? "

She could not see anyone, but Shikamaru was looking beyond the trees, his expression vague and faintly disturbed. She was about to ask him hesitantly whom he was speaking to, but he cut off her words with a—

"Out. "

Shikamaru himself remained still, but a dark shadow shot from his side—Hinata flinched and fell back—and tore apart the clump of trees in a matter of seconds. All that was left were the messy debris, lying on top of each other like stripped kindling. She felt she should have been more surprsed, but somehow, this...queer power Nara senpai possessed was not what stunned her.

Beyond the pile of lumber, there stood a form with his back to them, his raven head turning only a slight angle despite the commotion behind him. She gave an inward gasp, immediately recognizing him like some odd déjà vu that wasn't really a déjà vu. Shikamaru was a little more composed than this, and commented wryly:

"Whatcha doing here Sasuke. "

He stepped lightly over the pile of timber he produced, and advanced to Sasuke's side as if he had not accomplished an implausible, unbelievable feat just moments before. Sasuke was the same way—he remained pokerfaced, expression flickering precariously over the thin line between 'displeased' and 'blank'.

"Shikamaru…and you. "

His dark eyes traveled from the tall boy that stood in front of him to the smaller shivering figure that lay a few meters back. His eyes narrowed, his lips drawing thinner. Shikamaru tapped him on the side with an exasperated air.

"The forest is out of bounds till summer solstice…but of course, you'd know that even better than I do. Is there some other valid reason you should be patrolling out here? "

Without skipping a beat, Sasuke replied:

"Hmm. No. "

Hinata could have sworn a vein jumped in Nara senpai's forehead then.

Shikamaru exhaled heavily, grimacing in the manner of a shopkeeper encountering a boy that had just stolen candy…but did not know or care whether or not he'd be in trouble. He started speaking convincingly, as if to somehow wheedle Sasuke into at least making up an excuse:

"Come on, Sasuke. You know better…and it's going to be a hell lot troublesome if I dropped this minor aberration at your elders and all you can say is "I just felt like it. "So let's forget it, and I suggest you walk out of thi…"

Sasuke grimaced and responded with a dry:

"Can I make a request? "

It was Shikamaru's turn to grimace. He did so with grace, obviously struggling to suppress his wish to drop down right then and there and give up on his job.

"…depends on what kind. "

"I'll go quietly if you let me have a talk…with her. "

A sick twisted feeling rose in Hinata's belly—Uchiha Sasuke was pointing in her direction in all seriousness. He seemed oblivious to Shikamaru eyeing him with a "you, what? " expression stamped on his face.

"If… I say no?

"I'll have this place made into a nice flat area by the time I leave. You can shadow lock me all you want—once you take me out of it, I'll do it the same, anyways. "

Hinata gawked.

A nice…flat…area.

She still could not gouge the limits of 'those' powers, the one her cousin brother, Uchiha and Nara senpai all seemed to share alike. Shikamaru gazed around him, almost like he was deliberating what the place would like after Sasuke wiped it. He sighed for the fourth time.

"Sasuke, you're … really going out of your way to make this day troublesome for me…today. "

For a moment, Shikamaru looked like the man equivalent of an olden panther—agile and well-built enough…but with no particular motivation for anything in life.

Perhaps Sasuke had not been just sarcastic that day—Shikamaru indeed seemed like a guy capable of being too lazy to even breathe.

"Let me talk to the girl for a while. I don't care if you supervise me—I won't do anything stupid. "

"...I don't feel like babysitting the two of you. "

Hinata thought Sasuke would balk at this, but he remained surprisingly tolerant. She waited for Shikamaru to shake his head and somehow do that weird shadow trick again, but to her astonishment, he murmured:

"…but. Fine. Ten minutes, that'll be enough? "

_'W…what? Nara senpai…? '_

He could not, possibly be agreeing to this.

"Deal. "

She heard Sasuke answer easily. Hinata wanted to scream out and grab on to Nara senpai's retreating back—where was he going? Didn't he know….shouldn't he know, that 'babysitters' aren't supposed to leave the kid alone with some…stranger with a penchant to fight her family members? She stared at him with huge dishplate eyes, urging him with her thoughts to change his mind and stay...but all he said was a simple:

"I'll be right by that willow clump. "

He left.

And left her alone.

With 'him'.

* * *

**(bloodiedsugs's words on WNSS—**

Am I late. God…explaining it boring. Lol.

Explaining time:

Uchiha Line: Uchiha, Inuzuka, Haruno, Tamura

Hyuuga Line: Hyuuga, Uzumaki, Aburame, (and sai)

Watcher Team: Shikamaru(current watcher), Temari, Gaara, Kankuro

Student Council:

President: Nara Shikamaru

Vice President: Subaku Temari

Secretary/accountant: Sai (lol)

Prefect (freshman district): Subaku Temari (freshman quarters belong to the Uchiha Line. Thus, only neutrals apply to this position.)

Prefect (sophomore district): Aburame Shino

Prefect (junior district): Uzumaki Naruto

Prefect (senior district): Nara Shikamaru (senior quarters mostly belong to the Uchiha line. Thus, only neutrals apply to this position.)

Hope this helped.

Bear with Me. _


	14. Raison d’être

"_**The White Nights describes the few weeks around the summer solstice during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. The sun does not set until late at night, and twilight lasts much longer."**_

* * *

"Where's Sasuke? "

Miharu nervously looked sideways, avoiding the question.

Itachi demanded an answer without a doubt, but with some luck, it wouldn't be her that would answer. She instead pointedly gazed at the 'hound' that was seated two seats left from her—Inuzuka Kiba. He was Sasuke's best friend, if such a term could be placed upon on their relationship which was more of a complex "leader/follower," "childhood friend" type of mess. In any case, if Miharu did not know about her troublesome older brother's whereabouts, Kiba should know.

"…I don't know. He left school early today—cutting Humanity. "

Kiba muttered moodily, one of his hands running messily through his clump of maroon hair. Truth be told, he'd also missed his last two classes too, searching for Sasuke in hopes of catching up with him and discussing the atrocity he'd witnessed that day; he still could not believe the nerve of his brother…friends with a Hyuuga? But he hadn't reported Amano…yet.

He was so distraught that he barely noticed the clock was nearing time for curfew.

"He should know better than to roam like that. Especially at this time of the year. "

Itachi regally stepped forward from his seat and glanced over at the line of people sitting sporadically in clumps. He proceeded on to the window and looked out without another word, and silence overcame the room once more. That is, until it was broken by the youngest Uchiha in attendance.

"I believe it's nearing nine pm. "

Miharu announced the room as if in revelation. Most of them ignored her, going about in their routine as if not a word had been uttered, but Kiba snapped into attendance. She had definitely meant to point him out among the group, because he was the only person present that wasn't an Uchiha, thus, the only person to which the 'curfew' was directed at.

She smiled pertly, her malice poisonous. Kiba had the grace to bare his teeth at the girl, his eyes lime, but he stood up without a fuss. He only had been waiting in hope of meeting Sasuke anyways. And just as well-almost anything was better than waiting for someone who didn't come in a room full of red-eyed self absorbed egomaniacs.

"I'll be, uh… going, "

He did not feel like calling Itachi 'Itachi sama' like the rest of the family did, so he took care to never call the guy by his name. Slipping out of the room fairly unnoticed—Miharu tossed a leer in his way once more—he flitted into one of the darkened hallways that stretched out like a maze in the unending musty space of the residence.

He had to agree, the Hyuuga residence had an upside—at least it wasn't so…rundown. The Uchiha mansion was stifling when Sasuke wasn't around, literally as well as figuratively. In addition to being dusty, it was full to brim with self righteous uptight 'narcissists' who enjoyed ordering people around. Judging by the way Miharu, the 'younger' one so far, had turned out, there was no denying that a vain streak ran through the bloodline. Though it would be suicide to mention it to any of them, Kiba thought wryly.

He jumped out of one of the glass windows, taking care to not break the hinge out of carelessness as he usually did. Landing without so much of a thud, he lifted himself with dignity and was about to flit out, when a figure blocked him.

And it wasn't somebody he particularly wanted to meet. It brought a untimely scowl to his face.

Haruno Sakura. Sasuke's fiancee, yours truly.

In a blaze of anger.

"W…what the hell are you doing here at this hour, Haruno? It's almost curfe…"

"I need to tell those lot, damn it. "

She bristled as if Kiba had somehow provoked her. Instead of simpering and giving him a catty lip-gloss smile as usual, she dug her nails into one of his arm and muttered furiously:

"I know where Sasuke is, and I know they should have done this earlier…I'm going to run that fucking naïveté out of town. "

* * *

**White Nights: Summer Solstice**

**Chapter 2- Moonlight Arroyo**

**(Session#6- Raison d'être)**

* * *

The air was stiflingly fragrant with the scent of watered greens, and Hinata panicked.

Shikamaru was already a stick figure walking afar in the distance—she hadn't noticed the clump of willows was so far away, even more so than the hundred meter she'd predicted earlier—and she felt quite bare in terms of defense.

"I'll be straightforward, so pay attention. "

Sasuke was glowering at her, but it was an odd kind of glare. Bending slightly forwards, he was looking into her eyes, but it seemed as if he was talking to some other person while he was doing so. Almost as if he could see a taciturn line of Hyuugas walking behind her, listening to everything he was saying. Hinata cringed and impulsively stepped back, her initial feeling of "I'm not afraid of you" dropping off her by the second.

Who had she been kidding? Of course he was right—it was a stupid idea to think she wasn't afraid.

"…oi. Are you listening or not? "

His hand suddenly reached out and grabbed her shoulder, and she flinched in response. He looked taken aback for a second, than smiled dryly.

"What happened to all that 'I'm not afraid of you' crap? I knew that was just an act you couldn't pull off for long…shit, you're trembling. "

He was telling the truth.

Hinata clenched her fist to halt the shakings, but it worsened, traveling up her arm in spasms. She defiantly looked up at him square in the eye, not entirely sure why she was trying not to show her trepidation.

In any case, she'd have to depend on the small consolation that Shikamaru was standing…about a few hundred meters away, sitting against a willow, almost looking as if he was…dozing. If that was any consolation—Sasuke would probably have murdered her twice over before Shikamaru noticed, or…woke up.

Dismay.

"I'm…cold. That's why…I'm, trembling. "

"It's nearing June. Girls are going around in tube tops. You can't be cold. "

Almost looking amused, he eyed for another prolonged second. It reminded Hinata of that time when he had smirked at her from across the cafeteria.

Then, as if checking himself, he frowned, switching from amused to pissed, even confusing himself in the process. Sasuke himself wasn't entirely sure—in contrast to what he'd thought he would feel when he decided to have a 'talk'—what he was really feeling at the moment.

"Bah, forget it. Just shut up, and listen. "

Instead of letting go of her arm, he jerked it up so that she had to step forward inwards to his direction. His index finger pushed up against her temple, so that her head tilted backwards, revealing her ear. It was similar to the way a dog owner gently tilted his pooch's head backwards to deposit a snack in its maw—except that when it was applied to a human, it might as well have been an insult.

Hinata was outraged—as if she did not have the sense to move? But he looked serious again, so she did not protest and remained still. It was easier that way.

He pushed his face near hers, his lips just a few centimeters away from her ear. She could feel his breath against her skin—surprisingly hot; she expected icy mist—and assumed he was going to whisper.

He did not.

Suddenly, without warning, he snarled into her ears aggressively—

"No matter what the fuckers make you do, or tell you to do…get out of here. Go someplace else, somewhere you used to be before or anywhere…just not here. Leave this place before you get too deep in. If the assholes are forcing you to stay, tell them you're not interested in this dump hole and beat it out. "

The woods were spinning before her eyes, and she stumbled against her own feet.

"E…eh…? "

He sounded so earnest, she could not rebuke him. She did not even understand why he was…advising her this way. Sasuke's eyes were not narrowed, and it did not seem like he was joking. He was not the type to go into all this trouble for a joke.

"But…no one's forcing me to stay…"

"Sure they aren't. "

His tone was sarcastic, and somewhat bitter. He flung her arm away as if it was something disgusting, and walked away some steps, his face darkening. When he turned back to face her again from a few feet away, it was just the Sasuke Hinata had first seen that day in Konoha—livid and enraged, face whitening with a vein throbbing in his forehead. She wanted to speak out; it was, afterall, she who had told Neji she wanted to stay. Hinata did not feel like being treated as if she was some drifty coward who did everything she was told to do-and as if Neji or Hiashi would 'force' her to do anything?

But she could not let out one word; Sasuke looked simply too incensed for that.

"You don't fucking get it, don't you… Do you know what this place would do to you, naïveté? "

He had leapt over at near the end of his sentence, and Hinata found him shouting directly into her face, the word 'naïveté'.

"…you should, be afraid of me. "

He was whispering now, but he might as well have been shouting.

His normally impassive eyes were burning with ire, his hands crimped as if to hold it from lashing out. Hinata's shoe heel dug deep into the muddy sand under her feet in an effort to run away and stay still simultaneously.

"…you should not mess with this town, because it's fucking bad news; why can't you be like some 'normal' girl and learn to run away from shit like…"

She saw his torso looming over her, seconds away from…

"Sasuke, that's 'enough'! "

A rough command, barked from a few hundred meters away. A wide awake Shikamaru was standing erect with one of his arms up, his hand tightening into a fist as if he was clutching something.

Time out.

Hinata sighed in relief— so he had been watching after all, now she wouldn't have to worr…

"Wha.."

And suddenly, she couldn't move.

Literally.

A thin sheet of black overcame her entire body, hers and Sasuke's. It binded them like a thick lump of invisible concrete, setting their positions intact. Hinata did not think of trying to thrash her way out, but merely blanched when she attempted to move her toe—which was inside her shoe—and completely failed. Terrified, she glanced at Sasuke, who was taking in this change without a bat of his eye. He didn't put up a fight, merely choosing to remain limp.

His face was still enraged, but thankfully, less inclined to act spontaneously.

"…she's staying on her own wishes, Sasuke. No one's forcing her. "

Shikamaru explained quietly as he slowly sauntered up to them, the two figured locked together in a standstill. He could have flitted and save time, but he was not the type. He preferred walking.

Hinata gaped unbelievingly at her body, and the darkness that shrouded it. She could not move one finger, not one toe, whether of not it was hidden inside her shoe… It was as if time had creaked to a stop, at least for their bodies.

Of course, she should have known. He must have some…odd powers if he alone was going to supervise an entire town full of …

Sasuke growled out a response, some profanity at first—it seemed they could talk and breathe, even though their body was still. He was glaring at Shikamaru with intensity identical to what he had given Hinata just minutes before.

"Then they should show her, tell her about what really this all is…I bet it sounds like a joke—lines, watchers, selecteds…unless, you haven't even told her that yet. "

He accused vehemently, his coal-black eyes blazing. Shikamaru let out a soft sigh, half wishing he could drop down on the grass and take a damn nap once and for all, but only stepped back once and released the two from the shadow lock. Hinata blinked, and snapped her head up, worried that Sasuke would snap and manically attack 'Nara senpai', but strangely enough, nothing of the sort happened.

To her, it did not seem like what Sasuke would do, to remain calm after having been…locked down.

"It really isn't my place to tell her the explicit information. At least, not now. "

Partially, it was his laziness. Sasuke seemed to jeer at him through his eyes, his deadpan face still but his eyes challenging. Shikamaru took no notice of it as he replied with ease:

"I'll leave Neji to that. If that's fine with you, Sasuke. "

"Then tell him that I told her to beat it out of here. If he even cared. "

Sasuke barked into Shikamaru's face, his hand thrust out, pointing at Hinata. Shikamaru looked back at him, eyes dull and lips thinned, hands shoved inside his pockets.

"I can't intervene in personal issues, especially if it means taking sides, Sasuke. It's the rules. "

"Screw the rules for once. "

Sasuke spat out the words.

Hinata looked up cautiously; she did not understand what exactly they were arguing about, and did not wish to know, but she noticed that for the first time, 'Nara-senpai' looked irked—genuinely mad. His face actually changed from its usually pokerfaced easy going expression to a vexed one. And strangely enough, he also looked a little sad.

"You know I can't. "

Sasuke checked himself, and resignedly eyed Shikamaru back, the fight gone from his body. The two boys warily sized up each other.

"I know you can't. But it would make things a whole lot easier if you did. "

Shikamaru raised his brow and shrugged a little, feigning nonchalance. Sasuke eyed this with a scowl, glancing at Hinata who was staring at both of them with deliberate fear—she could not decide whom she should be more…wary of. He narrowed his coal black eyes once at her—again, that strange play of light made it seem as if it had turned red—and turned his back to them, flitting away without so much of a good bye.

Hinata could suddenly hear birds chirping from somewhere nearby—she'd been so tense that her brain erased any external noise from entering her conscience. She relaxed, suddenly realizing the stressful 'talk' the Uchiha boy wanted to have with her, was over. She looked up in relief, and was surprised to find out that a tiny patch of sunlight had managed to penetrate the thick canopy of trees. She could see the sky, at least a small portion of it.

"Well. At least he won't go back on his promise and raze the ground. So in my books, today wasn't so bad. "

Shikamaru drawled jokingly, cocking his head once or twice and letting his neck crack. Hinata stood quietly on the same spot as if still locked by the shadow lock, her head bent towards the sunshine.

'Nara' senpai seemed to be almost talking to himself again, eyeing the spot where Sasuke had disappeared—or more, appropriately, flitted—into. He spent some time kicking his heels against a bark of a tree, scraping the mud off his shoes in an indifferent manner, killing time. When he noticed Hinata had finally calmed down a bit, he offered a smile and a:

"You okay? "

Hinata attempted to vocalize her consent, but all that came out was:

"…y…ye…"

She stammered unwillingly and gave up on talking. If she could not let out one syllable correctly, it would be a disaster trying to enunciate a sentence. Abashedly, she kicked her heels into the mud and realized the mud behind the sand was too soft and squishy, thus, burying half of her heel inside the ground. She followed his example and scraped her shoe against the bark of a tree, somewhat belligerently. Her shoes were ruined.

Shikamaru slowly sauntered up behind her, and almost absent mindedly, informed her:

"He means well you know. Sasuke. "

Hinata blinked up at him in abject confusion, but he was already turning away, adopting his fast gait. It would take her some stamina to catch up with him, especially with him walking through the thick bushes in a rush, knowing his way well through the entire area. Hinata started jogging, her ruined shoes squelching on the ground.

'He...means...well? '

She couldn't understand at all.

* * *

"This is, the last time I'm asking him to babysit. "

Neji was sitting on the dining table, his hands kneading into his temple angrily. Yurie sat next to him, sipping tea, distractedly flipping the pages of her workbook. The clock was ticking away, nearing eight pm. It was a new plastic clock, due to the fact that Neji had smashed the flea market one some time ago.

"I don't think Shikamaru would be so inconsiderate as to getting Hinata into trouble…but he's running late, isn't he? "

Yurie spoke thoughtfully, her index finger wound over a long silky lock of her hair.

Neji jerked his head once in consent and resumed his head kneading, leaving Yurie to return to working on her homework. They were both silent when somebody spoke up while entering the dining hall door—

"You guys are a sad bunch…What's wrong with you two—the room's turning gloomy, Neji. Yurie. "

Ryuha came tinkling into the room, holding a mug and packets of cocoa from the empty kitchen. He took one look at the forlorn pair and grunted, flitting into the kitchen again and coming back with two steaming mugs of hot chocolate, as well as a beer with ice for himself. Yurie eyed this with indifference, while Neji just sighed gustily.

"No thanks, sweet tooth. "

Ryuha did not bat an eye as he slammed the cup down in front of his cranky cousin brother and offered:

"Shut up and drink, Neji. "

This was a long upstanding Hyuuga family routine, one that didn't particularly have any meaning to it. When in strain, drink hot chocolate.

There was nothing special to do while waiting, so Neji reluctantly took the steaming cup and drank—too sweet as usual—while the clocked ticked on, seemingly endlessly. Another ten minutes crept by.

And the front door finally creaked open.

"Thank fucking god! "

Neji jumped up from his seat, but was pushed back down by a skeptical Ryuha. Yurie paused as well.

She whispered, her eyes alert:

"Shikamaru would've rung the bell. Whoever that came through is no one that is ou…"

"Hello. "

A figure appeared, her school uniform still in tact, holding a folder by her side.

Neji was still half standing, his torso awkwardly bent while Ryuha sat with his arm blocking Neji's abdomen—Yurie was standing up with her mug. The three gawked at the person who had arrived—someone they had not been expecting, but not one that was deemed an enemy— then responded with a slightly surprised:

"Hmm…oh. Hey there, Temari. "

The honey haired girl walked into the room without invitation, her long legs crossing themselves as she set herself onto one of the dining room chairs in the Hyuuga residence. No one protested or shooed her out, for apart from being a neutral, she also frequented the house for 'briefing', especially matters concerning White Nights. As if notifying her tendency, she set her folder of paper in front of her as she let out a small sigh and relaxed.

Crunching on an ice cube, Ryuha questioned:

"You came to brief us already? I thought we usually did that the day before the battle started. "

A pause; her fingers idly tapped the folder a few times before she continued:

"You're right. I'll be briefing you on the eve of White Nights…but. Well. "

Another pause.

She felt slightly embarrassed; all three Hyuugas were staring at her interestedly, curious about her motives. Temari did not blush, but coughed involuntarily as she feigned interest at the Hyuuga's massive refrigerator, onto which was taped the dietary of the household and food recipes.

"Shikamaru's coming here soon—he told me to come for him at about, now. Sorry about meeting him at your house; he's so tactless. "

She eyed the watch on her wrist, with a critical eye. Everyone relaxed and Ryuha even snorted out laughing. Yurie smiled. It felt odd to watch the 'neutral' couple. They were supposed to be the cogs caught in the middle of a giant battle between two irrelevant forces, and yet they looked so content with what they had. For this time once, things appeared to be "normal".

Ryuha even had the decency to joke:

"It'd be the day when you guys wed, Temari…would you be a Nara? Or a Subaku? "

She merely eyed the amused Ryuha, displeased. Even Neji let out his strain for a moment and sat down, finishing off the sickly sweet powder dregs of the cocoa left in his mug.

And that was when Shikamaru finally made his appearance.

"Oi—front door, bell rang—it's him! "

Neji flitted out to the hall and pulled apart the door in haste, his brows creased in impatience. Out in the darkened garden, there stood one tall raven haired youth, his hands in his pocket and looking about as if nothing interested him; and a girl with huge lavender eyes, looking a bit lost as if she had heard too many things that bewildered her.

Ignoring Hinata's state for the moment, Neji berated Shikamaru ferociously.

"I should be bashing you in! Why did it take so long? We were worried sick! "

Shikamaru waited until the shouting was over, until answering with a curt—

"Detour. "

He took care not to mention Sasuke, for he knew how much Neji would truly flip if that happened. The only minefield he had was Hinata, who might or might not mention that little fact to Neji, but judging by her expression, she seemed to prefer to keep it a secret as well. For some reason.

Neji was struggling to not lash out anymore-Shikamaru tended to use short phrases or words when it came to excuses. Though it was miles better than a long winded explanation about how the old lady was having problems with her baggage or how the cat was caught up in a tree...it still was irritating.

"Detour…right. You did tell her all the necessities? "

"Most of them. "

Shikamaru changed tactics then, lowering his head and yawning, looking away. Neji frowned but instead of pursuing the matter, he summoned Temari. She stepped out of the house and greeted her boyfriend.

"Next time, try some manners. Making me wait in someone else's house? Tactless. "

She whispered as she looked ahead and clacked out into the open. He grinned at her idly and was about to turn and walk away, when he halted as if recalled something important, and turned back. The door was halfway to closing, but a shadow sprung out from the dark and held it in place. Neji attempted shut it for a few times, failing, and noticed the shadow holding it in place.

"What's the big idea, Shika? It's late. "

He edgily threw open the front door, pretty aware that Hiashi might be overseeing this interaction from his room upstairs. Shikamaru lowered his eyes, looking uncertain. His fists drove into his pockets again as he stalled, heaving a few sighs. Knowing him, Neji waited for a full five seconds until—as Temari usually did—snapped the guy out of his trance.

"Shika! "

"…hmm. "

He looked up and frowned, almost hesitant. Neji curiously stared back, a frown creeping onto his face as well.

"Neji, I'd…"

"What. "

He tried to get out the words, at least some parts, of what Sasuke had so desperately wanted to tell.

But if he wanted to give Neji the warnings, he knew he'd have to explain every single detail that had led to that decision, every single "reasons," from front to back—troublesome, yes, but there was also another glitch.

Shikamaru knew there was just one crucial 'problem' to the huge complex story that had managed to intertwine Sasuke and Neji—as much as they did not wish to—binding them together. He might have mentioned it if it was Yurie or Ryuha who was standing in front of him right now, but he could hardly tell it to Neji. Not when…he was the one who had been influenced the most, by 'that' day. Not when Summer Solstice was so near.

Not when neutrals weren't supposed to take sides—helping one side was out of the question.

He did not mention anything.

"Never mind. "

The two figures disappeared round the corner, and Hyuuga Neji stood out in the open, contemplating for the longest time.

* * *

**(bloodiedsugs's words on WNSS—**

LONG. lolz.

Just one thing I want to say before I delve into explaining; ^^ I really hope you guys pay attention to the tiny details (yep, even a character's reaction to what someone says) because you'll see why the characters act the way they do.

ESPECIALLY:

The way Sasuke reacts about naivetés. (explained by the end of this chapter)

The way Shikamaru reacts sometimes when people ask him about his work, his responsibilities. (explained by chapter 3)

The way …like out of the norm things happen. (Even little hints of it, like Kakashi and Tenten… hope you guys don't forget about it, because it's coming up later in the story)

Sasuke? XD (…by the end of this chapter, session 8, you'll see his reasons for obsessing over naïvetés. Well, most of it. Don't go feeling so bad about Neji hurting him…because there's a behind story. Lol. There I go again, making you curious. Or not.)

PS: DarkennedFlower: agree with you… kiba came out fine somehow ;p ( never intended, but he's adorable anyways)

winterkaguya: Gaara's coming! But, did you notice he doesn't attend school? ^^

Just_passing: I'm just amazed you know when I update…even though u don't have an account? (or too lazy to log in?) either way, thx for the lengthy comments, lol.

Bear with me. )


	15. Final dusk

"_**The White Nights describes the few weeks around the summer solstice during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. The sun does not set until late at night, and twilight lasts much longer."**_

* * *

Kiba half heartedly had attempted to stop her, but Sakura would not listen. Before long, she had jumped up the height of two floors, and was slipping inside the thinned crack of a glass window that led to the hallways.

"Oi! Haruno! "

He bellowed after her, grimacing and setting the pace for himself again. He already knew Sasuke was not in there, and Sakura was sure to get reproached by one of those malicious Uchiha girls—it was over curfew. And he was faster than her, in terms of physical aptitude.

He ran the length of the meadow and heaved himself up, his hand grazing and gripping the stone edge of the faded walls. Hoisting himself up, he threw open from the outside one of the windows and slid back in to the house once more. The musty scent greeted him as he landed soft soled onto the floor.

And he almost took a double take at the sight that greeted him.

"'What' is wrong with you? You lied to me! "

Haruno Sakura was screeching viciously at a figure that had just arrived—Uchiha Sasuke. Kiba blinked, and realized the Uchiha selected must have slipped in through the back door of the mansion, avoiding contact. Unfortunately, in the midst of the slipping in unnoticed, Sakura had managed to find him and was berating him at the moment.

"Shush—you'd get caught. It's over curfew. "

"I don't 'care'! What is up with you? Why can't you stay away from that fucking naïveté girl? "

It was too late. Sakura was too anguished to notice the pandemonium she was raising, and already Kiba and Sasuke sensed the presence of various 'family' members gathering near the hallway. They weren't approaching though—they seemed to be interested in the fit Haruno was making. Kiba swore he could hear the tinkling titter of Miharu.

Sasuke gritted his teeth in vexation—those bastards had better things to do than eavesdrop on something like this. He calmly started with a compromise, hoping Sakura would have the head to note that this wasn't the best of times to start a scene.

"Sakura, lay off me. Go back home and we'll talk tomorr…"

"No, no! Don't you dare, walk away from this—I'll tell everyone how you spend your days lusting after something you can't hav…"

"Lusting…! "

The look Sasuke shot her was withering, but she still didn't let down. Her hands were already gripping, white knuckles showing, on Sasuke's shirt. Kiba groaned inwards—trust them to make him the one to settle the fight again—as he stepped in between the two enraged selecteds and whispered curtly:

"My god…Haruno, give him a break! "

He stepped in closer, his expression exasperated as he pried away Sakrua's clawing hands from Sasuke's collar. Sasuke managed to look indifferent, but Sakura gave a discontented scream. She turned swiftly around and violently slapped the Inuzuka selected, causing him to widen his eyes and growl menacingly at her:

"Stop it. Now. I mean it. "

She wasn't one to step down so easily—they already had her in a corner. She could imagine the way Uchiha Nahoko glided down the stairs, casually inhaling smoke from her menthol—waiting. Waiting for the fight to end.

"This isn't your fight; why did you come anyways Kiba? "

"You think I'm going to sit and watch while you bring down the house? Do you know how much damn trouble you're in already? Stop obsessing over something that's so…insignificant! It's practically 'nothing'! "

While Kiba was shouting, Sasuke glanced at the wall clock that hung at the end of the hallway, several meters away. 9:21—curfew had been over 21 minutes ago. Itachi would enjoy doling out his punishments to the two unlikely selecteds—one an Inuzuka, and the other a Haruno.

"Yeah? You call following a stupid Hyuuga naïveté into the 'out of bounds till summer solstice' forest, practically stalking her…nothing? He was like a dog on a leash! "

Sasuke straightened up at that, his heart suddenly pounding furiously. Everyone listening must have heard that, including Itachi who would be noting the fact that Sasuke had been straying off course at a crucial time…but that was not why he felt anxious.

He was suddenly reminded of a certain time in his life when one of his cousins had told him the exact same words… years ago—'Why do you follow Itachi around so, like a fucking dog on a leash…'

That same cousin was dead; dead from the White Nights battle four years ago.

"Why are you so damn interested in naivetés? "

Sakura was screaming now, suddenly vulnerable because of the tears that were drowning her eyes. Kiba stepped back, queasy—he was never one to relax in front of girls crying. It irked him, making him nervous.

Sasuke did not seem particularly fazed. Instead of reacting to her tears, he merely turned back and started to walk off in the opposite direction in the manner of a teacher who had given up on his pupil. His feet landed promptly and surely on the dusty wooden floorboards, triggering creaks every now and then. Seeing this, she slumped slightly against the walls, sniffing. He had ended the fight on his own account.

Before he disappeared around the curb of the corner, Sasuke turned back once more and spoke frankly:

"That's…one thing I used to like about you. There's so much you didn't know. So much you still don't know. In other words, useless, yes…but. "

A pause.

They were both remembering the day the elders had unrepentantly made the choice. Uchiha Sasuke was to marry Haruno Sakura the day he turned twenty.

Not one of them had a choice over that; whatever decisions the elders came up, they had to stick with. Sakura remembered the broody raven haired boy—a few centimeters shorter than her when they met—eyes bigger and more afraid than hers were. The brand new Uchiha selected to be. Sasuke remembered the obnoxious strawberry blonde girl that had clumped him on the head the moment they met, demanding to see her 'real' 'manly' fiancée. Granted, she was still obnoxious now, but never to him anymore.

So many things had changed since then. 7 years.

Walking away, he sighed.

"Almost like a naïveté yourself, Sakura. But you know too much now. "

* * *

**White Nights: Summer Solstice**

**Chapter 2- Moonlight Arroyo**

**(Session#7- Final Dusk)**

* * *

The night was surprisingly clear, and Naruto barely needed his flashlight in order to maneuver around the empty grass field.

"Shino? Oi, can you check if you got the keys again? I think I lost mine. "

Shino sighed.

"I have it. "

"Oh, good. "

The two figures casually strolled through the field, oblivious to the fact that every single light on the campus was down and the grounds were shrouded in darkness. School had ended a long time ago, and even the last dregs of people working in extracurricular activities had left the building hours ago. The hills that contained No Man's Land loomed above the campus, throwing a deep shadow across the grass. Naruto halted for a moment, thinking Shikamaru would thrive at an environment such as this, but then moved on quickly to catch up with Shino.

"Can you see it yet? I think the flashlight is running out. "

"We're here. "

Shino cautiously stepped over a metal hedge, guiding Naruto with his flashlight. They were at a clearing in the edge that ran through the school and the forest, divided by the back gates and the trees. In the middle of the clearing, there stood a small box like building, whitewashed and cracked, most likely used as a storage room for sports equipments.

This rundown building that did not seem to belong in the modern artificial mood of the school, was the meeting place for eve of White Nights. Naruto and Shino jumped into the windows of the shack, ignoring the door that was bolted and shackled with a rusty chain.

"We're here! "

Naruto waved to the girl that was standing in the front of the room, taking attendance.

Temari noted their arrival with a curt nod, her hands flying busily on her notepad. About ten people were cramped into the small box-like room, seated on a long table that did not seem to be capable of accommodating the number of people present.

Naruto and Shino daintily stepped over to the right side of the table and sat down, where they were immediately face to face with a sullen Inuzuka Kiba and gloomy Haruno Sakura. Naruto squirmed with discomfort at the sight of them, as he usually was with tight inescapable situations. He sought Neji to quip about the awkward mood, but he turned to find a very tense Hyuuga glaring at the selected seated before him—Uchiha Sasuke.

"We're full…except for Tamura, but she has her reasons. Let's begin. "

Temari seemed almost oblivious to the tense mood, and simply began to talk while tapping her pen accordingly to her notepad.

"Well. So here we are. This is to be out last conference before White Nights begins. "

She announced to the room in her customary straightforward manner, her eyes sweeping around the room. Almost everyone was in attendance, that is, everyone but Tamura and Nara Shikamaru, who was said to be back home, 'busy'. Naruto spluttered at this:

"Busy? Temari, it's the eve! What else is there for him to be busy with? "

"Shht, Uzumaki kun, it's about…"

Sai ducked his head and whispered discreetly into the blonde boy's ears. The Uchiha side watched this dully until Naruto raised his head and nodded grimly.

"Yes, well, anyways. We're setting up the dome in the eastern sector of the forest; note that, it's northeast. Setting time is to be at 9am, so everyone should be in attendance by 7am at the very least, if you all wish to get into position. But as always, note that No Man's Land is out of bounds until that time. "

Here, Temari gave Sasuke a look—he met her eyes frankly, without much response. She continued smoothly, as if nothing had happened.

"Also, the glitch. It's an annual problem we have, maintaing the dome a secret. We've been lucky so far, since nobody considers the forest a good hiking or picnic place. But it's foolish to let down guard. School is going to be out as usual for the white nights period, and the elders and the youngsters will patrol around the forest edge, so no naïveté should stray inside the compou…"

Everyone sensed it.

Temari's sentence drained into silence as her dark brown eyes swerved to the direction of the door.

There was an imposter standing outside the building, in front of the shackled door, shivering. Shino and Sai stood up immediately, accompanied by blonde girl with long tresses from the Uchiha line—Yamanaka Ino. Temari frowned as she glanced over at the door, and put out her arm to stop them from going further.

"We've got something more convenient—Neji, look through the door and see who it is. "

Neji complied, and activated his byakugan, which was met by distaste from the Uchiha side. Some almost looked as if they wanted to object, but everyone was silenced when Neji blurted out a second into looking through the door—

"…Hinata…! "

A pause, then a muffled throng of apologies:

"Neji? Neji…! Oh god, I'm...so sorry, I didn't mean to…"

Everyone gawked, and Sasuke's face all of a sudden darkened.

"Hyuuga…Hinata? Do you mean the naïveté? What is she doing here? "

"That Hyuuga naïveté? "

Temari promptly opened the window, helping the shivering Hinata into the lit room. Neji walked over and grabbed his cousin sister's hand, unable to say anything. Finally, he managed to ask with suppressed exasperation:

"W…what are you 'doing' here, Hinata? "

"I'm sorry…! I …didn't mean to follow you all the way…you were slipping out, and I just thought…to surprise y…I…"

She mumbled and gritted her teeth shut in chagrin. She hadn't expected Neji to attend a 'meeting' such as this one; she only assumed he was going out to meet his friends. Neji remained silent, his warm hand still holding her small wrist. He looked at the window as if to ease her back out and tell her gently to go home…but it was too dark. Anything might happen in the dark, such as some idiot rookie Inuzuka suspecting her for a full fledged Hyuuga, and trying to capture her to let off 'steam' before the battle...no. He could not send her back out. Not alone.

As if he had read those thoughts, Sasuke suddenly stood up, his neck splotched a violent red, his face drained of color. His fists were balled tight, his knuckles paling by the second.

"What is this? What are you trying to do…? "

"Do what? "

Neji questioned evenly, his eyes staring straight ahead intractably. He'd expected this to happen—every Uchiha seemed to have an issue about naivetés, especially 'him'. As if to attest to this assessment, Sasuke twisted his face and pointed at Hinata, his finger jabbed at the direction of her wide set eyes.

"Bring…her! I'm asking, what the fuck are you lot thinking, bringing a naïveté into our last conference?"

"I didn't bring her, she followed me. "

Neji attempted to answer levelly, but he was having problems with containing himself—no matter what guilt he'd felt, it melted away the moment he set eyes on the monster the small Uchiha kid had become now. He gave Hinata a questioning look, but she looked away nervously. She was horrified—it seemed she had cause a big fight without meaning to, by arriving at this conference of some sort. She was alarmed to see the Uchihas and Inuzukas sitting with people like Neji and the 'watcher team' as she remembered Nara senpai had called himself and the Subaku clan.

For some reason, Nara senpai was not there, she noted.

"Then get her back to where she belong—away from Konoha! "

"I will, but I cannot send her alone when there's kinds like 'you' walking around in t…away from Konoha? What are you implying? "

Neji finally abandoned his composed self and burst up from his seat in a rage. Sai pulled back from his seat cautiously, ready to intervene if necessary, but he noticed an intent Inuzuka Kiba studying him with watchful eyes. Haruno Sakura was glowering steadily at the arrival of the Hyuuga naïveté, her already wintry expression turning icy.

"I'm saying the ignorant girl had been treated to enough 'hell' already—send her back from where she came! She doesn't know any better, so you sh…"

"It's her choice!"

"Stop it. Both of you. "

A tired voice, ringing out from beyond.

Through the open door, a form emerged, his tall frame bent and easing itself languidly through the window. His left arm was outstretched, fist clutched loosely—Hyuuga Neji and Uchiha Sasuke were suddenly bound just a few feet away, in front of that fist. Everyone stared at the unexpected appearance of their Watcher.

Nara Shikamaru entered the room wearily, walking over to the table with a dark look on his face. Temari noted the faint scent of incense on his clothes, and realized he'd just returned from Nara Shizuka's shrine. She bit her lips slowly.

Hinata stood back a step as he briskly walked past her, the lingering faint sweet fragrance confusing her as she did.

She remembered that smell—from… her grandmother's funeral a few years back.

The scent of incense.

"Really, save your energy you two. There would be plenty of situations in which you 'would' have to use it—'after' today. "

Seated in his spot, Shikamaru drawled with a hint of vexation, which surprised those who were used to him being laid back and good natured. Hinata noticed Nara senpai's shoulders seemed tense and clenched, and his eyes were alert for once as opposed to dulled. He continued with the same curt, worn-out tone:

"White Nights is only a mere few hours away, and conflict will not be tolerated, until tomorrow, that is. "

Almost carelessly, he flicked his hand and released the two fuming selecteds from the shadow lock, oblivious to their apparent rage. Again, Hianta noted, he did not care to see if any one of those two retaliated—he seemed to take it granted that they would not.

They both sat calmly in their seats, their faces twisted with rage. Hinata attempted to leave silently, but her arm was caught swiftly by Neji, who pulled her to his side and made her sit down in one of the stray seats. She winced when Sasuke's burning gaze grazed her as if it could physically harm her…as she did with one of the girl's glare from the Uchiha line, a pretty girl with strawberry blonde hair.

And as if he did not notice all this going on, Shikamaru stood up and called roll with Temari hovering next to him with a stern look.

The meeting had only begun.

* * *

(a day ago)

"It's time, brother. We're leaving for No man's land. Hurry. "

Temari stuck her head into the intricately woven billows of curtains that shrouded her little brother's room from the rest of the hallway. In there, on top of a plain hard-padded bed, sat Gaara, staring out of the window as if he had nothing better to do. She watched him fondly for a moment, the image strikingly similar to one she saw of Shikamaru, who equally enjoyed daydreaming and falling into a trance. Both the part of Konoha's watcher team.

There was one specific difference to the image though.

Gaara had a pair of crutches propped up next to his bed.

"No man's land? Already? "

He murmured, flicking the window curtains shut with a snap of his wrist, almost angrily.

"It's near the eve, Gaara. You know we have to be there first before the battle begins. "

He sat up straight promptly, easing his legs over the bed where they fell to the floor with an awkward stiffness of wood. His turquoise eyes were shaded by the deep shadows circling his eyes, and his burgundy hair fell into his pale face softly.

Temari frowned as she took a hesitant step forward. Instead of proceeding, she stopped herself and whispered:

"…hurts? "

"No. "

He replied, nonchalantly, though his forehead was creasing up in anger.

She felt a flutter of anxiety for a moment, recalling that faithful day, three years ago, when…

_An image. A cloud over taking sun—just a second, nothing more—and the sight of a mere boy, tiny against the rising tide, standing in the middle of a clearing, eyes closed, concentrating. Holding a massive sand dome of nearly 300 feet height, and a full kilometer's radius upright. _

_Kankuro flitting next to her and speaking in a worried tone: _

"_Temari, I heard we have an Inuzuka rank missing in the lines…"_

"_What for? Why should anyone shirk from battle when everyone is inside the dome? "_

"_I don't know, this never happened befo…"_

The image.

The image of her little brother standing alone with his eyes closed, face upturned towards the sky, keeping the sand dome from collapsing.

But he himself suddenly collapsed. Unbelievingly, she'd shouted—

"…_Gaara? "_

_Another figure standing next to him in a crouching stance, eyes glowing a brighter lemon lime in the blinding whiteness. Maroon hair. Claws bared. _

"_What is that Inuzuka doing over there?"_

"_It's him! The one that's been reported as missing! "_

_She had flitted immediately over the plains, the wind cutting into the thick ground as she ran, feet pounding against the wet sand…_

_But she arrived too late. _

"_Catch that bastard! "_

_Screaming for the Inuzuka did not help the situation. _

_Gaara's legs were already almost useless, and he lay with his torso exposed, bleeding internally, a trickle of blood on his lips. Eyes open vaguely, dull and wrapped in a thin turquoise sheen...but somehow, miraculously, horribly, concentrating. He was still holding up the dome. _

"_Gaara…Ga…you…stupi…idiot!... "_

_Temari could not believe it. Instead of fighting back, her little brother had chosen to keep the sand dome standing instead to secure the people inside, leaving himself vulnerable to any external ambush. The Inuzuka had overtaken him in a flash. _

_And he'd been crippled ever since…_

'But why should an Inuzuka challenge a neutral…? '

No one really thought much about that little issue at the moment. Temari bit her lips wearily as she watched Gaara lifting himself up deftly with his crutches, grunting softly as he supported two thirds of his weight with his arms.

'…why challenge a neutral? Why hurt a neutral? '

She thought they should have asked before the elders went about with making their prompt decisions. Gaara was to continue his job without fail—never mind if he was gravely hurt without any explanation, without a specific reason…

_And the Inuzuka?_

_**Executed.**_

_**By his own clan.**_

"Kankuro, we're leaving! "

"Go on ahead, I'll be right behind! "

Temari set out, checking herself over once.

She could not help thinking this over as they set out for yet another White Nights annual battle—they 'should' have asked. Why hurt a neutral?

**Why?...**

* * *

_(present)_

Hinata jerked in surprise as she felt the hands grasp her arm.

"Lay your hands off Hinata! "

Neji growled, his eyes snapping with fury.

The conference was over, but the tension remained. Sasuke had somehow run the length of the field to meet up with the Hyuuga line instead of going off with his line. From afar, Kiba was gaping at Sasuke with an incredulous look, and Sakura had already stomped off in a rush of angry tears. The night was complete, but the bright moon enabled them to somehow make out everything. The brightest moon before the brightest sun.

Sasuke ignored Neji as he snarled into Hinata's face, his voice rough but his eyes oddly earnest and…pleading.

"You'd listen, if you were smart…wouldn't you? It's no good hanging out with our lot! Why aren't you on an airplane somewhere, leaving this dump? I warned you, didn't I? "

Hinata glanced at the two glaring selecteds, and eyed the building she left minutes ago with hope—if Shikamaru was here, he might be able to stop the two from fighting so much…

"…it's her choice, Sasuke. "

Neji had managed to calm down slightly, and he took a step towards the gates as if that settled the matter. Sasuke let out a harsh sarcastic bark of laughter, staring at Hinata with an odd look. It was a look she did not recognize, something he's never shown before.

"Aren't you generous with your 'choices'…can't you see what you're doing to people who never had choices? "

Hinata swore she could see the pleading desperate look in his eyes, but she did not know how to interpret it. She did not think him, the intimidating Uchiha Sasuke, capable of those expressions; it was too unlike him to comprehend.

While she was hesitating in confusion, Neji moved forward and snatched Hinata away, his lips clamped into a thin line. He turned swiftly around.

"We're going home. "

He pulled her, and she stumbled along, too bewildered to object. She did not dare look back because she thought Neji might explode again if she did.

But from behind, she could hear Sasuke's voice, echoing through the night wind:

"…can't you see how lucky you are? "

Neji's brow creased ever so slightly.

* * *

(**bloodiedsugs's words on WNSS-**

SO late… sorry! School started and I went nuts. (don't worry, session 8 is already 4/5 written, so I'll upload it as soon as I meet quota) …argh… I'm not proud of this session. Too garbled and messed up. But i tried to upload it as fast as I can...

Ah…hope you guys don't bash me for making poor Gaara a crippled. (I couldn't help it, it weaves into the storyline later on with Shikamaru and the neutral's plight…way later. By the way, just for the score; there will be GaaHina (again, LATER!), but you know the story's focused on SasuHina…right? Sorry if you were hoping T.T )

Just one more thing.

When Sakura said up there "lusting after something you can't have" , for now, she doesn't mean just Hinata herself. Remember that please =)

NEXT SESSION; Sasuke's past, wheee.

Lol.

PS: …what makes you think Hinata would be useless? Lol. Sorry the story is slow, but I'd never make her useless… gah. The story is indeed slow. anyways, CHapter 3: Summer Solstice begins after the next session..

Bear with me)


	16. Leviathan

***disclaimer* this is probably going to be the most confusing session ever…hope you can follow the storyline…I'll explain later. Read the summary at the bottom if you don't understand. =) enjoy. Here we go. **

* * *

_They called them ghost eyes, them ones with those white eyes. The eyes that can see everything, though and out._

_Byakugan._

_Then there were the others, eyes red like the devil's. Ones that could read movements, all kinds of movements._

_Sharingan._

_600 years ago, a village shaman made a proposition to the two wealthiest pure blood families in town—the one who came out the stronger would be granted 'eternal life'._

_In those days, people believed in spirits. They believed the shaman had the powers to grant them life. And they were arrogant, confidant of their skills._

_So they fought._

_One killed the other, and the rest follows._

_Whether or not the prize is real did not matter at all._

_The feud still goes on to this day._

* * *

**White Nights: Summer Solstice**

**Chapter 2- Moonlight Arroyo**

**(Session#8 (extra) –Leviathan)**

* * *

"It's okay, Neji, it's over. We're safe. "

"Hizak…ki, I didn't mean to run, it was…I didn't expect this…to be…"

The sound of a boy sobbing.

**[Kill him. Kill that man.]**

_[But why? Why do I have to kill him?]_

"It's fine, I understand. You were good, Neji. Now all we have to do is get out of this rain…I'd have expected the dome to keep up for a while. "

"…o…okay. We're going home? "

"Yes…don't worry Neji. We won't have to think about this for at least another year."

_[Why do I have to kill him?]_

**[Because you have to.]**

**[Because you know you want to.]**

**[Because you know deep inside, you're a murderer.]**

**[Am I not right? Sasuke?]**

_[No… no…that's you speaking, it's not me, I'm just…I never wanted to participate…please… let me go. Can't I go back home with Itachi ni-san? I…don't want to be here…it's night! I don't have to fight anymore….it's not me, it's you that's the problem!]_

**[…you are the core of the problem, boy.]**

**[Kill him.]**

"…Neji, MOVE! "

"…wha…but? Hizaki?"

**[Where to slice first? His heart? His lungs? His stomach? …]**

**[It does not matter. Just kill him.]**

"…N…ji, run….Run…"

"Hizaki, where are you…? "

**[Follow my lead.] **

**[You can be the 'best' you'll ever become if you follow my lead.] **

_[I…don't…want to be the best…please!]_

"…HIZAKI! "

A voice piercing the darkened sky.

**[Good boy.]**

_[…hello? Hello?]_

_[What are you? You never told me…hello?]_

**[I am "you," Boy.]**

* * *

_**(Sasuke's Past—7 years ago)**_

"What's going on? Where is that kid? "

Voices floated from elsewhere.

It was all around him, engulfing him, drowning him, as if those voices were the raindrops that plunged down at him from the darkening sky.

Finally, darkening sky. Black sky, moon glowing in ivory hues.

White nights was supposedly over.

But what was this on his hands? Red, dark, slimy.

Blood?

But whose?

"Find him—and god forbid if he went into a trance again! Now that the fight's over…we have to retrieve that goddamn kid, and fast! I told the elders enough times that the tot was a fucking time bomb, ticking away for all its worth…and they don't listen—typical. "

He was clearly hearing the voice of his uncle, but that did not matter for now. He stumbled on the wet grass and flinched, holding up his hands.

There was human blood, on his hands. How did it get there?

Sasuke blinked once, then went in a crazed frenzy, dragging his bloody hands on the tree trunks, leaving trails of crusty blood on the bark. Gasping for breath, he dropped down on the floor, slapping his palm on the dirt, scratching at the edge as if to dig out water. He got rid of most of the blood this way, but cut himself on the stones in the process—he tried to get rid of this too. His hands became mangled in time.

Rain was falling solidly all around him.

'_It's not me…it's not me! '_

He could still hear from afar, the voices of his clan, searching for him, cursing and hollering out for 'that boy'. The rhythmic sound of the falling rain gradually overwhelmed his senses, obscuring the voices of his family until he could hear it no longer.

Gone.

Somehow, he felt completely alone. A small spot in the middle of a broken universe, a lump of iceberg broken from its bigger counterpart, drifting in the endless ocean, with nowhere to go.

But a voice, another voice—it was coming from somewhere near.

He did not recognize it, so it must be a Hyuuga…or an Uzumaki…or an Aburame, but in all honesty, he did not care no longer. White Nights were over. He should be safe, shouldn't he? They won't hurt him…won't they?

_**Follow the voice. **_

This time, Sasuke was sure that the voice inside his head was truly 'him' speaking. Not the _demon_ that had possessed him before—it was his own simple rational conscience, telling him to follow the voice. Because there was nothing else to follow.

"…really? "

The other voice was saying. A boy.

He sounded young. As young as he was.

"Are you really dead…?

Sasuke stopped abruptly, feeling as if he had just penetrated too personal a scene.

In the clearing ahead, shrouded by the trees and bushes, there lay another boy on the ground, his long hair dragging along the muddy floor, crying. Crying so hard—it was actually possible to distinguish his tears from the rain.

The boy was crouched over a thick lump of…body? There was a body lying on the dampened ground, not moving, just still. Now that he saw, there were rivulets of blackened blood running from a distinct stomach wound, and various other wounds from the corpse. The boy was heaving in front of it, choking as he was either about to throw up, or suffocate from his tears.

Sasuke was suddenly having a flashback—**Kill him.**

_Blood. Wet blood. _

**I am you. **

His eyes widened in fear, and he dropped noiselessly onto the wet ground.

Did he…do that? He did not remember a thing.

Did he…kill that man, just moments ago? He had thought it was a nightmare…

_No…I'm not the problem, you are!_

…'_**you're' the core of the problem. **_

The boy lying in front of the dead body had distinctive characteristics. Long hair, pale skin…his eyes were closed and hidden, but he bet it was lavender—a Hyuuga.

That didn't matter.

White nights were over…wasn't it?

He was so confused. Too confused.

"Who's there? "

A ragged voice—the Hyuuga boy was standing up erect, his eyes slits, glowing milky white.

What to do?

"Hi… my name is Uchiha Sasuke…I got …lost. "

He spoke meekly as he stood out of the clump of trees. He had no intention of fighting…because…white nights were over, right? Wasn't that the code?

But the only word that seemed to get through was 'Uchiha'. The Hyuuga boy's eyes lighted up, angry tears streaming down his face. Veins stood out from the corner of his eyes as he went in a crouching stance, ready to pounce. Ready to kill.

Sasuke should have known, he should have taken a defensive stance.

_Did he kill that man? _

_White Night is over…we don't have to fight. Why can't anyone understand? _

_It hurts. _

_Blood. 'His' blood, this time. _

"…please. "

Please.

He never… meant any of it to happen.

* * *

_**(Sasuke's perspective)**_

'_I'm not crazy. I'm not a murderer. '_

It's what I'd been repeating for the past eight years, over and over again. A never ending mantra. But I doubt anyone believes me at all.

They say time can change everything. I concur. I can attest to that fact by telling my story to anyone who'd listen…and yes, they would listen.

But would they believe me?...

What a lousy dilemma. Having the authority to make someone listen to you, but lacking the trust to have them believe in your words.

Ironic, isn't it?

But this is my story, no matter what twists one is expecting of it. To me, this was the only truth that ever 'was'.

And my story begins… with me as the **underdog**.

* * *

_(7 years back)_

Years ago, I was the weakling of the house. Any Uchiha who could call him/herself a true Uchiha could kick my ass in a battle and call it an easy job. I've had younger kids come up to me and look down on me, scorn me, as if I was some recluse in my own house. I was a weak, useless nobody.

I was close to a naïveté.

And I was damn well happy that way.

At least I wasn't dragged into 'family' responsibility and fight as Itachi, the prodigy, was always getting into. I had a tendency of following Itachi around like a pup on a fucking leash, because he used to protect me at times, from my fellow sibling's taunts and jeers.

I was the kind of kid that got frightened easily, who cowered at the first sight of danger. But exactly because of that trait, nobody bothered me much—they left me to my own devices, because they reckoned I'd never be useful. I learned the art of living peacefully that way, keeping out of my more competitive sibling's ways, and making peace with my own pathetic self, caught in my fragile world of freedom. I was happy.

Until one day.

I went completely berserk.

"_I…Itachi….! "_

"_Somebody fucking get a hold of him! "_

They say one of the scariest qualities of sleepwalking, is that you can hardly recall what you've done, or 'why' you've done some things in those period of time. You're basically in the thin limbo of unconsciousness and consciousness. And if you have never experienced that feeling of not knowing what you'd been doing, gripped by the fear that you don't really exactly know… who you are.

That's exactly how I felt.

"What the fuck is going on here…? "

A jumble of images, a mix of sounds.

All those people dashing into the room, footsteps echoing down the hallways. Black robes billowing, all those pairs of dark eyes. Staring at me. Stunned.

"Itachi?...holy…look at this. "

"…this can't be right. "

In the darkened gloom of the stuffy room, the elders and my older siblings gathered into the one little corner of the walls, beholding the sight that they could not quite process through their brains.

Uchiha Itachi, the family prodigy, lay unconscious on the floor, leaning against the floor with a gaping head wound on his head, dripping blood in to the already messy floor. The portion of the wall directly behind him was streaked with his own blood, and a metallic tang clung to the musty odor of the room, like some dark omen.

One of the elders even went up to the mess and dipped his hand in the blood, alarmed at Itachi's demise. Shocked, because he happened to be the selected, the strongest among his age group in the Uchiha line.

They found the culprit easily enough.

"Hand me the rope, this kid's insane…! "

Ten meters away, three family members were struggling to keep me under control, tying a thick rope around me in coarse knots, bending down to avoid my thrashing bloody fist. They say I had been screaming fit the entire time, snarling menacingly at the lot of them like some damn dog with rabies. But worse.

I suddenly could outrun them, I could overcome them in a fight, and even with those three members on my back, they still couldn't restrain me the way they needed to.

They were half-mad with uncertainty, because they'd never expected someone like me to cause such a problem. I was an anomaly, a worst kind at that, and they didn't know how to deal with me. It seemed my energy was limitless—I would have clawed and chewed my way out of those ropes.

"…get the shackles. Lock him up. "

"Lock him up…? You don't mean, t…"

"I mean it. "

Resignedly, the elders ordered me, a Uchiha, to be shackled up in iron manacles inside his own house, locked up in a small compact 'jail room'—double padded and no windows—having my own cousins to patrol and watch me… lest I went into a rampage again. It was a room that was used for interrogating purposes, back in 'those' days where the battle was cruder and things like kidnapping opposite sides and torturing still happened. Of course, now it was used no longer, since the times had gotten…"peaceful."

They locked me up in that room.

Even after I 'woke' from my bout of insanity, they didn't let me go, just in case I suddenly went mad again and started wounding other possible selecteds. A monster in my own home, I lived in that small jail room for over a month. And continued to reside there sometimes later in life, whenever my 'little problem' flared up again.

Those are my earliest memories of how, I became the way I am.

But after that little incident that no one wishes to broach anymore, the elders had a chat among themselves.

I might have been a crazy fuck, but perhaps I could be a 'useful' crazy fuck—anything was better than a weakling on their hands, it seemed. Following their own orders, the elders somehow twisted the rules around and entered me into that year's White Nights battle, hoping I would 'come to my senses' under the pressured environment and learn to 'control' my 'little problem'.

Total fucking bullshit.

If I remember correctly, I spent half the time hiding, scared to death that I'd have to fight some unknown Hyuuga…even more afraid that I might become the monster I was when I'd wounded Itachi that day. One of my cousins dragged me out of the hiding spot and thrust me into open battle among the Aburames, but miraculously, I survived that bout.

But I got lost. Torn away from my group.

**[I am you, boy. ]**

My fear mounted, and I have no other reasons for why…I did what I did. The voice started up again, crazier than it had been before, so loud that I was babbling to myself before long, shouting at a being that only existed inside my head. I broke boulders, I tore apart trees, roaming the forest in a trance. The only thing I could hear then, even with my heightened senses—or perhaps so 'because' of my heightened senses—was the voice inside my head and my own gibbering insane self.

And I went berserk again.

_**And killed the man. Hyuuga Hizaki. **_

I didn't even know his name yet at the moment, but I do remember the way the elders gleefully announced to our line that 'their' boy had managed to kill a full fledged Hyuuga single handedly in his first battle—my first ever compliment from an elder.

I'm lucky Hyuuga Neji does not know, that I was the one who'd slaughtered Hyuuga Hizaki seven years ago, in that White Nights battle. Of course, he wouldn't believe it even if I told him so, because I had been barely nine then—too young to actually be qualified for a battle.

But…

_**I'd never forget the way he cried over the lump of dead flesh that lay before him. **_

"_Sasuke. You have heard? "_

"…"

"_You're to be the next selected. Congratulations. "_

…Itachi should have known. No, he already knew how much I did not wish to follow his path. I've seen enough times how hard things went for the selecteds, and I wanted to keep my small freedom alive. But I guess, that was a foolish hope to have—once you're an Uchiha, it's impossible to stay away from trouble.

"_Sasuke, it's an honor to have been selected, you know that. Stop that glare—I won't tolerate it. "_

From that point on, even the fraternal relationship I had with Itachi went stale.

Congratulations?

He must have learned to lie like an asshole among the elders.

But at least he hadn't smiled while telling him.

_**Things change. **_

The elders rejoiced over what I was capable of, and even though I'd broken the code big time and killed someone after night had fallen, they didn't kill me. Or punish me. I guess there wasn't much the assholes could do, since Hyuuga Neji had already punched a hole in my body, directly through my shoulder area. So in turn, he had broken the code too, but he'd been conscious of what he'd done. I couldn't remember a damn thing, only that I had the man's blood all over my body.

They called it a truce over that.

And I "changed."

There was no way the elders would have taken me off the ranking list now—now that I had established myself as a Hyuuga killer. I suddenly shot up the ranks, outstripping most of my siblings and cousins in competition.

And I got afraid again, a coward.

Afraid that with my new ranks, I'd definitely get sent to battlefield again, sometime soon in the future. Afraid that no other people would accept my new status, calling my status a fraud for relying on insanity for power. Afraid that with my normal weak self, I'd never get anywhere, that I'd be the easiest target, that I'd die soon. Afraid I'd lose all my freesom, the freedom granted to those weak ignorant ones…

Afraid that Hyuuga Neji would someday find out that it was I—whether or not conscious of the deed—who had slaughtered Hyuuga Hizaki, and come hunting for me out of revenge. Vengeance.

So I trained.

Spring, summer, fall, winter.

And once over.

And another time over.

Years pass. Things change.

One year can completely change a person—_**imagine what seven years would do.**_

* * *

_(one year ago)_

"…did you hear? Our next selected is going to be a wuss. "

The small freshman classroom was filled with Inuzukas. Sprawled across the various desks and plastic chairs, they dominated the room in a way normal students did not. It was almost territorial, the way they held themselves in the room. Inuzuka Touru—then a sophomore—sat with a grin, eyes meeting with a fellow Inuzuka freshman and snorting out in skeptical laughter.

"Are you calling Kiba a wuss? You're just pissed cuz he'd beat you in a spar in two seconds flat—call yourself a junior. "

"Nah, you dumb fuck—I meant our 'line', not our 'clan'. "

They guffawed among themselves, as another piped up:

"You mean the Uchiha selected? Our new Uchiha selected's a wuss? "

The volume of their laughter increased, most of them with a hint of disbelief.

"I don't believe it! A gutless Uchiha selected…"

"Aw, that's going to be a joke after Itac… "

_Crash. _

The door suddenly slid open with a loud thud, and a lanky raven headed boy stepped into the room without invitation. The room died down to a suspicious silence, and the boy merely stood in front of the room, watching them in equal silence. Finally, one of the sophomores spoke up with a scowl, noting the fact raven head had a yellow flag on his chest—freshman.

"And you're?..."

Instead of answering the thrown question, the freshman spoke tersely with a brisk once-over of the room:

"…initiation meeting began ten minutes ago. You are late. Everyone above sophomore level is required in the senior halls. "

They all blinked in disbelief at the daunting raven headed freshman who had just ignored the definite hierarchy that dominated the school. The kid was pretty stupid to ignore the fact that he alone was in a roomful of Inuzukas, most of them outstripping him in age and seniority in rank.

Shaken out of that initial incredulity, an Inuzuka senior barked back at him with menace—

"We asked you first, kid—who the fuck are you? "

The freshman levelly stared back at the senior with a glower, his eyes flickering red. Blood red.

Touru stood up involuntarily with a gape, recognizing the trait immediately…as did the class of Inuzukas. The senior who had shouted a moment ago scowled as he noted the obvious:

"…you're the new Uchiha selected. "

The freshman chose to remain silent, his eyes broodingly sweeping around the room yet again. Touru flinched as the red filmed eyes swept over his physique in a flash.

"Hey, you 'are' the new Uchiha selected? "

Still, no answer.

Exasperated, a junior piped up in a rough tone:

"Look, what's your name? You can tell us that at least. "

He did answer that one.

"…Uchiha Sasuke. "

As soon as he said so, Sasuke walked out of the room in a rush, his face set like stone.

Nevermind if the rest of the Inuzuka lot in there considered him a stiff jerk—he was uncertain. Uncertain how to treat anyone as a subordinate, uncertain how to act like a superior.

Because he'd only ever known a life of a subordinate.

The room remained silent after Sasuke's departure, until the senior who had spoken voiced his incredulity.

"That's our selected, alright…Jesus, you said he'd be a wuss! …"

"Did you get his face? Classic chiseled Uchiha; artificial to the core… "

"Charismatic kid, huh. But a stiff fuck, no doubt—I was hoping for some let-up after Itachi damn it. "

"You idiots—he ain't out of earshot yet! "

Sasuke gritted his teeth and flitted out of the building, choosing to not hear the rest of the crap they sprouted. It was okay, it was enough, he reminded himself. This was his job now, to be intimidating and frank, to be someone a subordinate could look up to and depend on, no matter what age.

But…nevertheless, he was disgusted.

* * *

_**(sasuke's perspective)**_

Charisma? Charisma my ass.

That was no charisma.

They were just afraid, and they blamed it all on me.

No one realized, even after all this time, even after knowing who I used to be… all I wanted was an escape route, because everything I've known turned upside down the day I lost my mind. Everything I am now is the mirror opposite of what I used to be.

And that fact itself… scares me.

They say I'm too wrought up over the Hyuuga naïveté. They feel I'm going to retaliate because such thing as a Hyuuga naïveté—I was surprised to know—can exist. They think I'm going to go berserk and kill her, harm her, making me the scapegoat of yet another Hyuuga-Uchiha conflict.

They just don't realize, don't they?

Why would I kill a girl—whether she be a Hyuuga or whatever clan—just because she's something I've always wanted to be? What if I decide to do the opposite—shield her from …all this so that she may remain that image of whom I wanted, and still want to become. Why does everyone just plain assume, that I would go straight for the violent verdict?

_I'm not crazy. I'm not a murderer…?_

Okay. Perhaps…

I might be crazy.

I might be insane.

I might have the monster in me, growing, telling me to do things, to commit things, to inflict pain…to forget who I am.

**But I'm not, a murderer. **

**I am not going to kill…Hyuuga Hinata. **

'_Why can't, you all… leave me alone. '._

* * *

"_Itachi. I don't want to be a selected. "_

"_It's an honor—not a matter of you liking or disliking. "_

I used to think my big brother had all the answers of the world.

I used to believe in him.

I 'used' to…

"…_I don't want to be one…why…can't I just remai…"_

"_You can't choose those things. Sasuke. I never got to choose. You're an Uchiha—once you're born, you're entirely bound by your duties. Forget yourself. "_

That was that.

He never bothered speaking to me about…'other' matters after that.

…

And he was right.

_**I never got to choose.**_

* * *

(**bloodiedsug's words on WBSS—**

Finally, done with explaining a bit on Sasuke's past. Not completely done, though.

The **bold** italics are Sasuke's inner 'leviathan' speaking. The _'just'_ italics are Sasuke's younger self speaking. The first scene is Hizaki's death and Neji wounding Sasuke, in a different point of view. (If you're confused, track back to Chapter 1 session 8-glass walls of the crevice) So…unfortunately, and confusingly enough. Neji feels guilty for hurting Sasuke, and in the process, destroying his 'innocence'. But he doesn't know it was Sasuke who killed Hizaki. But, Sasuke had been half-unconscious in the process—he did not have control of his mind.

…confusing enough for you? Sorry about that. This session reads like a fucking nightmare. (lol…seriously, it may be the caffeine talking. )

**OKAY. So in summary**: Sasuke used to be a weakling. Then one day, he went berserk and hurt Itachi, and broke everything in sight. (in other words, he's incredibly volatile, but strong) The elders tried to make him a selected and placed him in battle before he reached full age. He killed Hizaki there in another rampage. Now no one says he's weak, but they call him a good killer, and he hates that more than being a weakling. He prefers being a nothing. (Remember when Miharu asked him, "Do you prefer being a nobody?" Sasuke was furious with that, cuz he really does, and others keep bugging him about it)

He became a selected, but he still wants to be a naïveté really bad. But that's impossible now, isn't it? He can't bear to see Hinata sometimes because she's everything he wants to be—a naïveté who knows what's going on, but someone who don't have to participate. A 'Hyuuga' Naïveté, something equivalent to an Uchiha naïveté. That's why he wants her to stay away, because he wants to keep that image pure. He's scared that if Hinata remains too long in Konoha, she'd get tainted the way he did and go bad. (because Sasuke used to be a cute little kid who loved his big bro. Now, he's more of a …hmm. Scary authoritative guy who intimidates? Lol))

Shika's story is coming in chapter 3 extra.

PS: well, SasuHina's late, since I always am slow with stories…but all you have to do if you dislike not having much Sasuhina so far… is to not read my story. Lol. Simple?

PPS: also...more than half of the questions I get on the reviews are ones aready answered... for exampe, it says in "Glass walls of the crevice" that Hizaki was Neji's mentor, almost like a second father; plus, Itachi was the 'former' selected...which means, when you graduate, you're not the selected anymore. Since Itachi graduated, Sasuke is the selected... and remember Konoha had no Inuzuka selected for two years because the elders didn't like Amano's attitude? Kiba's the current selected, just like SHikamaru is the 'current' watcher (the former watcher 'graduated')...

Bear with me.)


	17. Sunrise

"_**The White Nights describes the few weeks around the summer solstice during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. The sun does not set until late at night, and twilight lasts much longer."**_

* * *

"Neji, you still awake? "

Neji felt a large hand clamp down on his shoulder. He looked up to find a drunken Ryuha clambering down next to him on the beaten sofa that faced the glass windows. His face was slightly flushed, and there was that distinct 'smell' clinging to him.

"What are 'you' doing up, Ryuha?...and…drunk on father's vodka, too. "

Ryuha chuckled wryly at Neji's words and pointed at the digital clock that stood blinking on top of a table top. He replied with a slightly sarcastic tone, his arms crossing.

"First day of White Nights…battle begins tomorrow, no wonder I'm pissed. "

Neji glanced undecidedly at his cousin brother's nerve racked eyes—it was unlikely to see some other Hyuuga who took White Nights as bad as Ryuha did. He always was a bit of an anomaly, going far as to even making friends with an Inuzuka. A bit of a laid back outcast, he always got extremely nervous before battle, almost abnormally nervous. Just an idiosyncrasy.

Yurie however, was as poised as ever—if not a little edgily so— and Jun, yet another cousin, was just excited to enter battle for the first time in his life. The general feeling in the mansion was mostly exhilaration tingled with a dash of abject fear.

_As usual. _

"…What's this for you—the sixth battle?"

Ryuha spoke up again as if in sudden revelation:

"Seventh. "

"Right… I forgot, father had you in a little early. Well, I'm in it for seventh as well…same we are, right. "

Ryuha stretched in a feline manner, pretend-yawning as he eyed his cousin brother out of the corner of his eyes—in concern. Neji was determinedly quiet, refusing to voice his worries. They sat in silence for a moment, Neji dully staring out at the window, and Ryuha nursing his headache.

"You're a bit different today. Is it Hinata that's bothering you? "

Neji flinched as he gaped incredulously at a shrugging Ryuha, who only muttered:

"Fuck, I'm only perceptive when I'm drunk…so tell me. Why? "

"It's not right. Hinata shouldn't be here; I should have convinced her to leave town. "

Ryuha grabbed a lock of Neji's hair and accusingly drawled at him with intoxicated breath:

"Don't tell me it's that Uchiha kid's words you're repeating to me. "

Neji's lips curled as he knuckles whitened over the edge of his seat—same thing over and over again whenever Uchiha Sasuke was mentioned; the guilt, the anger, the gut feeling that something, was not right. Ryuha loosened his hands and crossed them in a clutch, speaking in an assuring tone:

"Look, it was Hinata's choice to stay, Neji. Besides, White Nights has got nothing to do with her—she's going to be safe, 'out of the dome'. "

"Not…just that. "

Ryuha raised his brow as he leaned back into the chair, his flushed face facing up.

"Then what? "

"…something just, feels wrong. Call me stupid for it, but it's true. "

"Huh. "

Ryuha gave a slight nod, then stood up with a huge stretch. Without another word, he started to clamber towards the doorway, leaving Neji behind to muse over his worries—it did not seem like he wanted to talk about it, at least not today.

"Didn't you ever think it was weird…a Hyuuga naïveté? "

Neji suddenly murmured, almost to himself. Ryuha froze, then turned back curtly.

"What are you talking about? "

"…I mean. "

Neji began heavily, his eyes casted downwards.

"…you know all Hyuugas mainly develop their powers at about the age 5… 6 if you're pushing it. And by that, I mean 'all' Hyuugas… except Hinata's family. "

Ryuha narrowed his eyes as he nodded, shaking back his head as if to guess what Neji was trying to get at. Neji screwed his eyes, trying to match his thoughts with words.

"Huuga Hizashi's, our uncle's family of four is the only Hyuuga group that lives 'outside' of Konoha…and also is the only group that doesn't possess any Hyuuga powers, which are hereditary. Under no circumstances…have I ever heard so far of Hyuuga possessing absolutely no powers—a whole family. Unheard of. "

A gush of wind thrashed the tree outside the window, but the room remained still, artificially so. Ryuha was still listening silently. Neji was trying hard to keep his head down, organizing what he had been thinking underneath all this time.

"It's just… weird. If they cared so much about being apart from this all… why send Hinata here? "

Ryuha's face was slightly darkening.

"We're blood kin, we help each other out in hard times. "

"We're blood kin, that's true, yes. Our father, Hiashi, and her father, Hizashi, share the same blood, don't they? So why the difference? Why did our dad possess Hyuuga powers, and…uncle none? "

There was a silence deeper than the ones before, and when Ryuha finally chose to speak, it was in a final tone.

"I'm sorry, Neji, but I don't exactly like where you're going with this…are you saying Hizashi's family—including Hinata—is hiding their powers or something? "

Neji jerked his head sideways as his fist gripped at the leather sofa in frustration. After he calmed down, he murmured:

"No…no. That's not what I mean. I'm just saying it's odd. Honestly, you must know it too, Ryuha; our people never mention that fact here, it's like a taboo. "

Ryuha eyed Neji with a pitying look, a weary limp overtaking his body.

"I think you're thinking too much. It's only going to distract you from battle. "

Neji rubbed his forehead in a thrusting motion as he watched Ryuha walk away.

'…_Hizaki, help me. .'_

* * *

**White Nights: Summer Solstice**

**Chapter 3- Summer Solstice**

**(Session#1– Sunrise)**

* * *

**_(Hyuuga Residence-eve of White Nights)_**

Hinata sat quietly next to the slightly ajar door, her eyes wide and unblinking. She had spent the entire night up, sporadically eyeing the window as if a stray Inuzuka would creep into the house and strike her…or a certain Uchiha. She knew in the corner of her mind how irrational she was being—this house, the Hyuuga mansion—was probably the safest place in Konoha apart from all the neutral spots in the village.

_But she still could not fall asleep. _

No one had bothered to explain to her in detail, what was about to happen, but she knew something was going to happen. Perhaps they were all trying to shield her from something that she could not ever comprehend, because she wasn't a part of it, thank god….but still. She was anxious to know.

_3am. _

"Neji, it's time. "

"Sht…don't wake Hinata. "

She could hear light footsteps, those graceful tap tap tap of Yurie's leather soles against the wooden floors of the darkened hallways. Just the night before, Hiashi had announced at dinnertime that Neji, Yurie, Ryuha and a couple of other Hyuugas were 'going away' for the week, to some exotic camping place that "doesn't seem right for Hinata, she wouldn't enjoy it at all". Hinata hugged her blanket closer as she sighed—it was obvious they were going away to that White Nights battle, or whatever it was…she wasn't a child, she could guess that much. She only wished Hiashi would stop trying to shield her from everything that happened around here…after all, she was here to stay.

Hinata squeezed her eyes shut.

And fell asleep.

"…_I wish you hadn't convinced me to do this…It's dangerous. "_

"_It's all for Sasuke's well being. If he keeps this up, the elders are bound to punish him for disloyalty…"_

"_And what about this? Don't you think the elders would notice what 'we' are doing right now? "_

"_Well if we don't, Sasuke's… little problem might start up again, and we don't want that to happen. Nor do the elders. "_

Haruno Lee limped against the white walls of the Hyuuga mansion, his brow creasing up in unease. As much as he wanted to agree with his sister, he could not help but think—she's just jealous of the naïveté girl.

"Hurry up, Lee! We're going to be late if we don't. "

Haruno Sakura hissed at her brother as she turned her face away from his distressed face. The Hyuugas have left the mansion for the forest, and this tiny sliver of time before their elders returned home was the only chance they had of accomplishing what they'd come for.

"This is not going to work out; Shikamaru would know right away we're the ones who did th…"

"It doesn't 'matter' if they find out later! "

Sakura suddenly turned around and screeched, her eyes glaring. Lee clamped down on his mouth in alarm.

"…even if they find out later, it wouldn't change the fact that she's done with, wouldn't it? "

He blinked.

In a sick awkward way, it made sense.

If they stole away Hyuuga Hinata at this moment and placed her inside the dome, right in the middle of the battle…there was a high chance, that she'd die, some way or the other. At the very least, get injured, because nobody would expect 'her' to be in the dome and attack freely…—but by then, she'd have realize what it means to live in Konoha, and—if she had the tiniest amount of sense in her—she'd leave voluntarily…which was exactly what Sakura, his sister was aiming for.

And even though the elders don't voice it, they would be happier with this whole naïveté mess done with—and it didn't look as if she was about to leave town on her own.

So why not help them get rid of the girl?

_Wind. Why did she feel night wind? She was in her bed, after all. _

_Hinata opened her eye in a crack, feeling out of place. _

_Amongst the fading night sky, she thought she saw a wisp of strawberry blonde hair whipping in the wind…but it was gone in another blink of her eye. _

_No one was there. _

_No one. _

"…N…Neji? …Yurie? "

Silence.

Hinata scrambled to her knees and winced as her left leg grazed itself on a shard of rock. She blinked to find her bedroom gone, and instead, a grassy land engulfed in trees, glowing in dawn's early light.

"…uncle Hiashi?... "

Where was she?

There was soft wispy light—alarmingly bright for this time of day—and Hinata felt dew soaking through her clothes. She seemed to be sitting on a patch of wet dewy grass, shaded by a large willow that draped its branches in an ominous fashion. Adjacent to it, were a couple more willows, and a whole lot more of other trees and bushes, all sprouting in a spongy ground of grass and sandy mud. The sun was gradually growing brighter, its rays blazing down on the surface of the Earth.

It finally dawned on her.

"…no…'No'."

It couldn't be.

For some unknown freak reason, …she was right smack in the middle of No Man's Land.

In the first day of White Nights, which would last a week.

'_What the hell was going on….? Think, Hinata…Think!...'_

Panicking, she lifted herself shakily and stood against the willow tree, gazing around for any sign of comfort. Had the battle begun yet? Could she run out of the forest before it started? But…wait, didn't Neji mention something about a dome…?

She stood frozen in the spot, numb with fear, waiting for something to happen.

* * *

**_(Entrance of No Man's Land—11:40 am)_**

Shikamaru grimly surveyed the line of participants lined up in two neat lines, the vein throbbing in his neck growing tighter as his eyes moved slowly down the ranks.

"You all know the rules. "

A few of the younger 'first-time' members tittered, but the older ones remained silent, waiting. Shikamaru continued, keeping his eyes on the new ranks.

"The Hyuuga line will be placed someplace in the eastern sector of No Man's Land, and the Uchiha in the west, as customary. "

A quiet murmur rose from the lines as each side discussed the best parts of their strategic point in the forest, but that died as Shikamaru started walking up to the newbies, the 'first-time' members. He eyed sternly, his coal-black eyed poring into each and every one of them.

"Don't you dare think you're free just because for the first time in your life, the elders aren't present. For this time once, 'I'm' going to act the part of an elder. "

No one tittered or spoke this time, and all eyed Shikamaru with a grim tolerating look on their faces. The older ones knew what their watcher was talking about. The watcher team was the only mechanism that held the so called 'peace' in tact, however precariously so. If it were not for them, the whole system could fall apart, with every Hyuuga against Uchiha till the end.

Shikamaru turned his head and raised a questioning finger at Temari, who nodded and started to speak.

"Alright. It's nearing noon, so we might as well begi…"

"Wait! Some people are missing! "

A voice rang out from the rear end of the line, and a skinny Aburame boy ran out with an anxious look, a little out of breath. Temari flicked her pen against her notepad, her eyes lighting up dangerously.

Shikamaru paused and exchanged looks with Kankuro, who gave him a worried shrug. There had been no report of tardiness in both of the ranks this morning. He turned then to the Aburame boy and asked:

"Who are they? "

The boy squinted before he spoke, as if he was afraid of getting rebuked for a deed he did not commit.

"H…Haruno Sakura, and Haruno Lee. "

Sasuke's head jerked up from the head of the line, his eyes narrowing. He turned his head back to see a bothered Kiba nodding his consent at their absence. A scowl immediately appeared on his face as he defiantly looked up to the three figures that stood in front, watching him back with three sets of questioning eyes.

"Sasuke, what's going on? Where's Sakura and Lee? "

"…don't know. "

Kankuro began to follow through on yet another question, but Shikamaru stopped him.

If even Sasuke did not know, something was up.

"…Haruno Sakura, and Haruno Lee. Missing. Out of ranks. "

He murmured to Temari, who wrote it down on her notepad, her face paling slightly.

She recalled the last time there were missing ranks. Looking up at the far end of the forest, she could see a looming wall of sand, stretching far and wide across the entire forest. She could almost vision Gaara standing small beneath its bulk, eyes closed and concentrating, his hands spread over the coarse surface of the wall. His crutches sprawled next to his side.

She flinched to feel Shikamaru's warm hand on her shoulder, and looked up to find him staring at her calmly.

"It won't happen again. "

His words were comfort, but she still defiantly lowered her eyes and marked off the two figures next to the list of names. Her voice was tense.

"…I hope. Because if it does happen again, I'm quitting this whole thing. I swear I will. "

Shikamaru smiled indulgently at her, his forehead creasing slightly. Temari eyed him in horror, realizing what she had said-not in front of Shikamaru had she ever wanted to say this. It was a touchy subject-quitting. No one really mentioned it anymore, even in jokes. Not when Shikamaru's...

"They're here! "

Both of their heads snapped up in alarm at Kankuro's shouted words. From a twisting corner of the forest, Kiba strutted out irritably with a Haruno on each side of his arm—Sakura twisting and scowling and Lee limp.

"…what…the hell had they been doing? "

"Apparently, they thought hiding out for a couple of hours, killing time, would be fun. "

Kiba shrugged at Shikamaru, while Sakura shot him a glare. Lee seemed uneasy and flaccid.

"…well. That's that, then. We can begin. "

Shikamaru looked back at Temari, who looked visibly relieved.

"Alright, line up. You all know what to do. Temari and Kankuro will each patrol the Uchiha and Hyuuga line, and I'll alternate until this ends. There will be no fighting until the customary 30 minutes of mercy time is over. "

Shikamaru looked around once, as if checking the last details.

Over in the Hyuuga line, Neji lifted himself a little straighter, shaking off the strange gut feeling he'd been having since yesterday evening. Yurie stared straight ahead with her lips thinned, and Ryuha positioned himself in the direction of the camp, preferring rest to battle. Naruto was jumping slightly up and down in a springy motion, all set for departure. Shino and Sai stood erect, not moving a muscle. More stood behind them, all waiting tirelessly in their own special fashion.

In the Uchiha line, Sasuke merely stared down at the ground, choosing to shade himself from the glaring sun that would last for a full week, never setting. Kiba was eyeing Sakura oddly, his arms crossed awkwardly—she was smiling peculiarly, though she'd definitely get punished for making a scene later. Lee looked dejected, his face frowning and hands glumly shoved inside his pockets. They entire Inuzuka pack looked energetic, including Kazu who seemed to have recovered quickly from the injury Neji had inflicted upon him. There was an indifferent Ino, standing crookedly with her arms tangled, and the rest stood behind her, waiting for the signal.

It was not so much the tension, but the seemingly relaxed quality of the mood that made the experience so…different.

"Dismiss! "

Shikamaru finally barked at the lines.

With that final word, the two lines immediately shattered apart as if exploding, people flitting away in a matter of seconds. By the second time Shikamaru blinked, there was not a soul left on the dry grassy field.

"…How many days are left? "

He asked Temari with his expression muted and eyes dulled. She sighed—he always asked her this, at least a couple of times each hour. She knew how much he disliked it all, but didn't have the heart to tell him to escape—because she knew what had happened the last time someone said so to a watcher. Escape being the equivalent of "quitting".

"Too many. "

"I thought so. "

Kankuro ambled up to them with a stretch, setting himself to flit off. He asked before he did so:

"So, which line am I to patrol today? "

"…Hyuuga. "

"So I'm Uchiha? "

Temari asked. Shikamaru nodded wryly.

"I'll catch up with you later. "

Hinata opened her eyes again.

Amazingly, she seemed to have dozed off a few more minutes in the sunlight, blissfully unaware for that few slice of time. She grudgingly lifted herself off the sandy ground, but froze at the sound of voices. All of a sudden she was a hearing a dull drone of voices buzzing somewhere in the proximity of her space...all her chances of her escape was cut off, it seemed to say tell her.

And she even recognized one of the voices-Inuzuka Touru.

A few minutes later, she could even make out what they were saying, in bits and pieces:

"Yeah, and they say 'we're' the peaceful generation-like hell we are. "

"Excuses again. We're used to it, aren't we? A 6 century chock full with bullshit..."

"True. If so, why don't the elders themse...wait a sec. "

The conversation cut off and dwindled into a sudden stretched out pause. Hinata fell back onto the ground, her heart hammering and fear rising again.

"Hey... there's someone here...I can sense it. "

"...huh. Me too. Get into stance? "

"Nah, 30 minutes mercy time ain't over yet. And I thought 'we' were the first ones to arrive!

"I thought the Uchihas were all out exploring land? "

There was another pause in which the voices seemed to be discussing what to do. A raspy voice suggested Touru to go have a looksee, but he rejected it with a 'nah, you do it. ' Another debate rose in which the raspy voice called Touru a 'fucking laze' and Touru replied acidly, 'shitface'.

Finally, some other voice called out:

"Oi! You, Tamura girl, go have a look, will ya? "

There was a rustling movement, and a girl walked out of the bushes so casually that Hinata would have thought she had imagined everything up when she did.

They say you sometimes get surprises out of some place entirely unexpected. life does that. Whether the surprise is pleasant, or unpleasant...that depends on luck.

This was what happened just now.

"...Tenten...! "

* * *

**(bloodiedsug's words on WNSS—**

Yep. I know I'm seriously late… sorry about that. I caught a cold! (yay)

I'm slightly pissed because I had to cut this session short (it got too long) so some of the better parts got cut out…but they'll be in the next session. I think.

Well anyways...for explanation: Sakura's done smt bad. lol. Remember when she promised she'd 'run' Hinata out of town? This is part of how she's doing it.. oh, and shika's story will be in session 8... (all that 'quitting' 'escaping' thing, just forget it until you reach session 8) ...and finally Tenten shows her real self to Hinata? maybe. And Neji's getting suspicions... well that's going to be explained too... (so many things to do in a chapter; .. damn. )

PS: love you guys if you are still reading this.

Bear with me. )


	18. Theatre of War

"_**The White Nights describes the few weeks around the summer solstice during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. The sun does not set until late at night, and twilight lasts much longer."**_

* * *

"Where were you 'really' at, Haruno? Be honest. "

Inuzuka Kiba laid his hand on Haruno Sakura's shoulder, tugging her towards his direction impatiently.

It was 12:18, and 12 minutes remained till 'mercy time' lapsed and the real battle began. He really should have been rounding the grounds, eyeing out for strategic points, but this was the only time he had to ask what he needed to ask of Sakura.

He'd seen how Lee and she were when he had found them at the middle of the forest, out of breath and standing –strangely enough—in a spot that wasn't even designated as camp site; she had no reason to be there, nor did Lee. They were supposed to be at the edge of the forest, listening to Shikamaru call out the rules as usual—but they hadn't.

He hadn't spoken of his suspicions back there with the watcher team, because she was in enough trouble 'without' him mentioning so—it would be merely cumbersome to have a line member punished during battle.

Sakura smirked, shifting her torso and pulling loose from the Inuzuka selected's grip.

"…I was doing what we were supposed to do a long time ago…a little something for Sasuke. "

"…a little something for Sasuke…"

Kiba repressed a groan and shifted his weight. He did not like the sound of that. Sakura looked too satisfied and excited to have done something that directly benefited 'only' Sasuke.

"What did you do this time? "

Sakura shot a look at Kiba; 'this time' implied she'd done other things before, deeds that did not particularly jive with the 'rules' of the house. Eyeing the maroon headed selected, she flicked up her cell phone and checked the time—12:25.

Well. It wouldn't hurt if she told Kiba.

Unlike the other stiff-heads, he was a little more human, believe it or not. Even the direct anger and the awkward frustration he displayed at times only confirmed Sakura's belief that he—Inuzuka Kiba—was not a 'selected' material.

Besides, by the time what she had done settled into his tousled maroon head, the battle would have begun.

With an odd smile floating round her lips, Sakura began to speak.

* * *

**White Nights: Summer Solstice**

**Chapter 3- Summer Solstice**

**(Session#2– Theatre of War)**

* * *

"You…did WHAT? "

The Inuzuka selected shouted at the Haruno selected, his face paling in disbelieving anger, eyes lighting up lime. Sakura scowled at his transformation, but nevertheless took a wary step back.

"It's for his 'own' good, Kiba! If the naïveté stays, Sasuke's fits are bound to return…"

"And 'how' would 'you' know that? Stop justifying yourself, Sakura! You just can't stand the girl because Sasuke pays more attention to her than he does you! "

Sakura halted then, her lips thinning. She glared at Kiba who stood bearing down on her, his eyes still slanting feline-like, yellow and gleaming.

"…I'm reporting this one to Sasuke, Haruno, y….you…are you out of your mind? "

"Why tell him? He doesn't have to know! Not now! "

"Because I'm his god-damn friend! "

Sakura rolled her eyes then, regarding the Inuzuka selected with half scorn, half pity.

"You're mistaking something, Kiba, and that's you thinking that Sasuke is your friend. He's not your friend, he's your superior! "

Kiba rushed up against her all of a sudden, his face rigid as if he wanted to slap her. His hand twitched against his side, but he heaved out a heavy grunt and turned away, preparing to flit off. Seeing this, she reached out and grabbed his collar, seething:

"What are you doing…? "

"I 'said' I'm reporting to Sasuke—this wasn't supposed to happen. Do you seriously 'want' another reason for the Hyuugas to bitch at us? Hyuuga Hinata is 'not' a part of White Nights in any way and…"

"Reporting what? "

"He's not going to let the naïveté get hurt in anyway—"

Kiba growled into Sakura's face, cutting off her words before she even voiced it out:

"'Not' because he is 'smitten' with her; do you know what that term even means to him, Haruno? Naïveté? Do you know what this is going to cause him—yes, of course you'd say you did this for Sasuke. Who do you think is going to get in trouble then? You know how the Uchihas are like! You know what they did to Sasuke back then! You 'know' what's going to happen if you go on and tell them lot that Sasuke's smitten with a 'Hyuuga naïveté'!"

Sakura paused then.

For a split-second, the image of a small cowering boy sitting amidst broken debris rose in her head, his eyes red and his mouth open wide in an animal-like howl—his hands shackled. A prisoner inside his own house.

She quivered but met Kiba's lime eyes with menace to match his:

"Of course I know; you seem to forget I'm his fiancée! "

"'You' seem to forget that the only reason the elders assigned you as his fiancée, is because you have healing powers, unlike other Harunos! You could help Sasuke in his fits! You were 'assigned' because you 'could' be useful! What use are you to Sasuke if you only cause him trouble, let alone help him? "

Kiba shouted, then held his breath—he's gone overboard.

Haruno Sakura's proud eyes were starting to glow oddly again with tears.

'Damn, not this again…'

Even though he had every right and position to chastise her, the Inuzuka selected hesitated in pushing further on. Sakura, though immensely proud—or perhaps because she was so proud—was easily susceptible to any scolding she received, as long as it was related to Sasuke.

He grunted and turned impatiently, readying himself for flitting. Sakura shouted at him from behind:

"Too 'late' Kiba, it's 12:29! "

Kiba whipped back, his pupils dilated to full size, his iris a tainted lime, muttering with hardly concealed disdain:

"A minute is enough time. "

Sakura bristled, about to retort, but the Inuzuka selected was already gone, flitting full-speed into the opposite end of the forest… where Sasuke would be at. She let out an impatient sob and absent-mindedly leaned against a willow.

'…I did it for Sasuke, didn't I? '

She slid against the gritty surface, willing herself to conjure up anything, anything to justify this situation. She closed her eyes crossly—Sasuke wasn't going to like this, Kiba was right.

A few seconds later, she was jostled by the sound of a tree crashing nearby, and the sound of a boy—most likely an Inuzuka rookie—cursing. There was another voice, hollering at someone to— "Spread out, goddamn it, spread out' …!"

'…noisy. '

Here, Sakura scowled deeply and spat viciously onto the ground. Mostly because the sky looked too painfully blue. Mostly the sun too brightly cheerful. Mostly because the day looked too fucking gorgeous to have started so ominously, so disgustingly foul.

_The battle had begun. _

* * *

**_(12:25—Uchiha sector of No Man's Land)_**

All she could see was her friend staring at her in absolute horror, her black pigtails swinging aimlessly as she came to a halt.

"W…what are 'you' doing here…? "

"…Tenten? "

Hinata woefully took a scan of her surroundings and concluded miserably:

"I…don't know. I really don't know. "

The sun shone beautifully, if not a little glaringly so. It practically threw multiple shadows, making the darkness darker and the bright patches brighter. And Hinata finally had the sense to look up and see the edge of a looming wall located some hundred meters away…made completely out of sand.

"T…The sand dome… the battle's already begun? "

"Of course it has…! It's over noon, after all! "

Tenten cried shrilly, then suddenly went mute, a blank look swiping across her face as if she remembered something crucial. Hinata noticed and stared at her friend with wide questioning eyes.

It slowly filled with horror as she swept away the initial surprise and started 'thinking'. She cautiously voiced the question that popped immediately up into her mind.

"…what are you doing here…Tenten? "

"…none of your business. "

A pause. Then Hinata ventured again.

"…are…are you part of this too? "

Tenten seemed as if she was about to argue something, but stopped. She cast her eyes downwards and nodded glumly, avoiding eye contact.

With this, Hinata folded her legs as she slowly crouched backwards, feeling the sandy mud rubbing off against her clothes as she did so. She slowly started edging away, feeling no tears but instead, a thick fear choking her throat. Tenten stood quietly, taciturn for once in her life. So in contrast to her personality she displayed back in school, always gabbing and cheerful.

Hinata took a big breath.

"…which…which line are you a part of…? "

The wind blew a wisp of hair into her eyes as she spoke, and Hinata shook it off her face, feeling the glare of the sun on her skin.

Tenten made eye contact then, her lips curling awkwardly.

"Uchiha. "

"…!"

Another stricken pause.

Hinata involuntarily let out a whimper, her teeth gritting in effort to repress the impulse to shoot up and run away. Her head was telling her to move, but her rational side was skeptical, saying, 'It's no use—you'd seen what they're all capable of. She'd hunt you down and kill you in a second. '

Tenten seemed to be noting this fact, and remained mute as Hinata shakily stood up, her eyes screwed shut and lips bitten.

'But she's my friend…isn't she? Hasn't she been one these past weeks…? '

"Why didn't you ever tell me… "

That was all she managed to heave out weakly. Hinata accusingly challenged her supposed-to-be friend, feeling her legs give out gradually. Tenten only bit her lips at the uttered words.

Hinata wondered how much lies had she told her…wondered what it was that stopped Neji from noting her that her best friend was on the Uchiha side! The glaring sun's rays only made it harder for her to look up into Tenten's eyes to see if everything inside had been a fake, a phony sort of enthusiasm.

Had she been lying too at the very first day, when she said showed interest in Neji…?

"I…I'm sorry Hinata. But there's no time to answer your question. The battle's almost… It's the rules, you know, and… You really aren't supposed to be here…'WHY' did you come here anyways? "

Tenten screamed the last sentence at her as if in defiance. But she was already crouching in that familiar stance, the one that Hinata had come to associate with the Inuzukas.

"I never wanted to! I fell asleep and woke up here! "

Hinata saw a weak crack in Tenten's hysteric conduct; she wasn't sure if that was acting as well.

"Well… that still doesn't change the fact that you're here. The rules are simple: I'm supposed to take down anyone that isn't part of my line. For one on one combat, there are no rules—I'm allowed to attack full frontal. And, besides… "

Almost painfully, Tenten eyed her wristwatch—looking strangely artificial in a background of natural greenery—and let out a whimper of her own.

"…mercy time's almost over. "

"M…mercy time? "

"I can't touch you till 12:30…and it's 12:29. "

Tenten whispered, her eyes changing. No color change took place, but it slanted upwards, pupils dilating as she crouched lower. Hinata only realize then how Tenten's expression morphed to resemble the one the pack of Inuzukas had worn the time they were up on the roof—a little animal-like, but restrained.

"…12:30. "

The most awkward apologetic smile appeared briefly on Tenten's face.

…_was it the end? _

Tenten disappeared. But unlike the time with the Inuzukas who had moved too fast for her to follow their movements, Hinata could see Tenten speeding up towards her in a sprinting motion, her torso bending as she twisted her body back for her leg to swing forward. And the leg, the wide moving arc, aimed right between her ey—

But then again.

"…w…what? "

Hinata slumped to the ground, only able to gape at the figure that stood before her, his left hand neatly grasping Tenten's now-stagnant leg. Tenten looked up from her position in disbelief, twisting loose and rushing forward again, only to be stopped, yet again.

"Stop. "

His eyes glowed red as he gripped both of her arms and restrained her, veins throbbing on the back of his hands, twisted and gnarled. Tenten only stared at him in disbelieving shock.

Hinata did not know if to be relieved or to feel hopeless. It was hard to tell what he was here for now—him. She almost even felt like laughing out loud—it seemed too great of a practical joke to have 'him' to be the one to rescue her, not Neji, not Yurie, but 'him'. He that was supposed to be the one to hate her the most. Again, that strange feeling that she was seeing him everywhere.

Uchiha Sasuke.

"…Sa…suke? What are you doing here? "

Tenten remained in that ridiculous position for a prolonged moment, her hands still outstretched, her legs jammed against a mound of gathering mud from the friction of standing against Sasuke's thrust.

Having stopped her, he pushed and released her simultaneously, causing her to skid back a few meters. Tenten broke off her stance immediately and gaped at him in protest.

"W…wha…why are you stopping me? I'm supposed to fight...! "

"No one touches a naïveté—that's why we 'named' them a naïveté, fool! They're civilian! "

He barked roughly at her, his eyes still glowing magenta as if the pupils had been dipped in red ink.

Tenten scoffed at this incredulity, snapping back at him:

"She's Hyuuga! "

That paradox, again.

In theory, there never could 'be' a Hyuuga naïveté. In reality, Hinata was merely a Hyuuga who lacked all powers. Even Sasuke knew that.

But because she was a 'special' Hyuuga who had been protected from all this for the majority of her life, because she was 'normal' outside of the boundaries of Konoha, she could be deemed a Hyuuga naïveté, the only one that ever was.

"She's a 'naïveté' before she is a Hyuuga. You can't hurt her just because you feel like taking it out on a girl you'd pretended to be friends with, by orders of U…"

Tenten suddenly gave a shrill cry:

"What, do you think I 'wanted' to? Bastard! "

She whipped around and shot into a bush, leaving behind a mound of crushed twigs and greenery.

Sasuke stared at the place Tenten disappeared for a second, stunned at the fact that the Tamura girl—ranking way below his family, even below the Harunos—had dared call him a bastard to his face. It was not so much the fact that he had been called a 'bastard' as the fact that the girl seemed genuinely shaken by the fact that she had come close to slaughtering Hinata…a Hyuuga, but a friend?

He turned to her now, the small crouched form at the base of the willow.

Hinata slowly raised her bowed head when she realized Uchiha Sasuke was approaching her, slowly and surely. She was limp with effort, and did not feel like even mustering up any energy to being afraid.

He stood silently, holding out his hand at her—exactly like that time, Hinata realized, when she had fallen down in the corridors at school. That same way he bent his frame. The way his raven fringe had fallen down and shaded his eyes, those cold onyx eyes that remained flat at all times. That same irritated shifty way he held himself, the same feigned overconfidence.

"Take it. It's not going to …kill you. "

Same words.

She felt a little numb as she took his hand, feeling a bit like a child that grabs the knife by the blade.

As soon as her hands were secured inside his, Sasuke pulled back his arm so that Hinata was swept to her feet in one clear arc, erect and standing. Dizzily, she blinked dimly down at the ground, not even noticing Sasuke until he spoke again, sharply:

"I have a bone to pick with you. "

"…huh…?"

Hinata suddenly found herself staring into his set of coal-black eyes, the chiseled smooth mask calmer than she had ever seen it before. A little dulled. It reminded her of Nara-senpai's expression, the one he wore when he was 'thinking'.

Sasuke spoke, his hands balled up loosely into a fist.

"…why didn't you leave? …I heard what happened, and I do know this whole deal was Sakura's fault, yes, but…

A seemingly angry pause.

"It's partially your fault too. "

His voice was quiet, no anger, no ferocity. It was nothing like Hinata had ever heard from him before. There were no underlying base tone, no sign that he was repressing himself. Uchiha Sasuke just sounded extremely, insufferably tired. He continued with some effort, as if he had thought this over but did not wish to finish his speech.

"I'd warned you enough times, haven't I? If you stay, even if it weren't for this…something would have happened. Either this ends with you 'dying'…"

Hinata flinched at the word.

"…or ends with you escaping this place. I think the latter one sound more tempting, don't you? "

Now his voice held a taunting element, as if he was mocking her. She suddenly remembered him howling at her just the night before—what was it again? Wasn't she generous with her choices…couldn't she see what she was doing to people who never had choices? Couldn't she see how lucky she was…

Even though Hinata had no prior notice of what Sasuke's been through, she felt a deep discomfited sympathy for him. He seemed to be too engrossed in the chains that held him in place, whatever they were. But it was as if he'd noticed her sympathy; he suddenly turned severe. His tone was curt as he spat out the next string of words he had to say:

"Leave. If you want to leave now, and I have to drive a hole through Gaara's supposedly impenetrable walls, I will—just leave. You're only a burden on everybody if you stay… As I used to b… Not so much me alone, but also your precious cousin, Hyuuga Neji, and the whole Hyuuga lot, and even the watcher team. Can't you see that being weak don't benefit anyone here? Power and hierarchy is everything, I mean it. Look at this wrist. "

With those words, he suddenly grabbed her wrist and held it up to light. Hinata skidded forward and bumped herself on his side. To her horror, she felt a sticky wetness on her skin, and realized a part of her hand was covered in red. Her eyes followed the smudge of blood to the torso of the boy that loomed before her, his hand still grasping her wrist. There was a wide blood stain on his arm, trailing from his shoulders down to his left arm.

He smirked dryly when he saw her eyes widen.

"It's not my blood. "

He spoke ominously, gouging her reaction.

Hinata shut her open mouth immediately, noticing the metallic smell emanating from his skin.

Seeing that she was not going to speak, he continued speaking—

"Look. What do you see? "

Hinata looked.

She saw.

She saw that her wrist was half the size of his, that it looked as frail and brittle as the twigs that were scattered about on the forest floor. She saw that his large hand was partially covered in blood, rusty but still very much wet; blood that's been spilled not so long ago. Seeing the revelation in her eyes, Sasuke administered a coaching tone:

"I can break this wrist easier than I can tear that tree apart over there… it's funny how humans think they're so great, if you think about it. Breaking off a tree branch is not going to hurt the tree much in general—it sometimes helps. But when you break off an arm and leg of a person… "

Hinata's head jerked up, and her lips went thin.

She glowered at him silently—he spoke as if humans were toys. He spoke as if he wasn't human, as if he was looking into a glass world full of breakable humans, infinitely weaker than her was. It was pretty arrogant.

"…it kills something inside them, you know? "

"…I…I think someone killed something in you. "

Hinata spoke up forcefully.

He glared, his eyes changing. Hinata's lips trembled, but she still forced out the words.

"Y…you have no broken limbs, I can…s,see that. But when 'you' hurt other people… s…something dies in you, too. "

His smile changed into something dangerous, she could see that at once.

"Why does everyone assume that I 'hurt' other intentionally? You too, huh? You don't even know me. "

He paused. Hinata quickly took that chance to explain herself, because if this argument continued, she didn't know what would come of it.

"…it's true…that I don't know you… but you don't know me. W…why are you trying to convince me so…badly, to leave? My parents are divorced, and I'm apart from my sister. I miss them. C...can't you see that this is the only life I can live now? I don't 'want'…to go back to a broken home! "

"You'd be better off there alive then dead here! "

"Neji will protect me. "

"…and you'll be the burden he'd bear. "

Hinata was lost for rebuttals. Debating in had never been her strong point, and this particular debate seemed to be going nowhere.

Seeing her become mute, Sasuke spoke one last time, his hands suddenly grasping her shoulders and his voice turning sincere. His words 'sounded' earnest and heartfelt, oddly enough because he had his eyes closed, the thin sheet of skin covering the cold black abyss that had seen too much but felt not much, at least not anymore.

"Please. Leave. "

* * *

**(bloodiedsugs words on WNSS—**

Sorry guys, but it's so….damn hard to balance action with plot. (forget SasuHina… gah, I'm trying, I am…)

And even I can't wait until I can finally make Hinata useful… because I'm already sick of portraying her as a damsel in distress! …

I'm still trying to enjoy writing, but I can't seem to write well enough to make myself happy-bad sign.

...oh well.

Anyways, back to the story: For one thing, I think Sakura's a little too obsessed with Sasuke... definitely. And Kiba's not really selected material-he's too 'nice' (if the word can be use in this kind of context... subtle nuance there, i doubt Hinata would ever think of the Inuzuka selected as ...nice. lol)... this part of the story is yet again another stress on Hinata's decision to 'stay' in Konoha... and just for the score, i know some of you had been curious why Hinata's dad was called Hizashi and Neji's dad Hiashi. Well. I'll reveal that... as long as we get to chapter 4...

PS: if I started a new story (i am going to continue White Nights, don't worry), would you read it? Again, I'm not sure if anyone would like this one... it's a bit strange (imaginative, if you say it in a nice way, lol)

Bear with me. )


	19. Theatre of War II

"_**The White Nights describes the few weeks around the summer solstice during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. The sun does not set until late at night, and twilight lasts much longer."**_

* * *

**_(Two days before White Nights)_**

"You're acting like a disgrace of the family; what has gone in to you? Does that naïveté girl bother you that much? "

The old-fashioned candle holder seemed to sway in the glow of the fire burning on its tip, the flame dancing to the gentle blows of the wind from the open window. The Uchiha mansion was in retreat—it smolders in anticipation of what to come, namely, the White nights.

But like a storm before its wake, the atmosphere remained still, tense but still.

Sasuke held up his head with a deep scowl etched onto his face, his body positioned towards the direction of the door—he wished to escape from 'this' particular confrontation. The former Uchiha selected, Itachi himself, had decided to take up on 'the matter' and lecture on Sasuke's intolerable conducts and Sasuke could only guess easily enough who was to blame—either Miharu was snooping around again, or Sakura had gone overboard and dropped the hint on Itachi.

"Who told you I was out in the forest…? "

The corner of Itachi's mouth twitched, as it always did when he observed his little brother's dilemma. His impossible to meet standards in the thin line between friends and superior made things hard no doubt—it was actually a bashful shamefaced Kiba who had been goaded into telling Itachi about Sasuke's little 'escapade' into No Man's Land.

As much as that Inuzuka selected had issues concerning his little problem about caring too much for his kin, he loathed the Hyuugas with as much revulsion and hatred as one could muster up—seeing Sasuke infatuated, even if not in the normal sense, prodded him to do the unthinkable—reporting Itachi.

"That does not matter, nor should it be any of your concerns. "

He removed his eyes from Sasuke's profile and turned away, speaking to the windowsill.

"By right we shouldn't have ever let the Hyuugas get away with this… after all, it's taking a toll on your… mental insecurities. "

Sasuke's fist tightened.

He had tried to come prepared, to laugh off contemptuously at whatever his older brother might throw at him to lose himself—that was most important, to lose oneself and not think. Once he started to take the words literally, he'd start to crack again.

But it was hard not to.

"She'd be better off the town's premise—it's what all our elders agree upon. I dare say we arrange an 'accident'…no, not kill the girl, mind. Sasuke, take off that look on your face. "

"Don't…you dare lay a finger on her. "

Itachi regarded his brother with cold eyes at this, at the crown of raven hair that refused to look up.

"…Sasuke, look at yourself. Pining after something we all gave up on a long time ago. Get over it. "

Sasuke's neck tensed as his plunged his right fist into his pocket, the left on tightening on the edge of his chair. He refused to look Itachi in the eye—god forbid; he should know what happened when Sasuke's anger spilled over the edges too often. Didn't Itachi already bear the result of what could happen at times…on his face?

Didn't he care what seeing it caused him…?

Noting his brother's sudden tension, Itachi stood up and suddenly approached Sasuke, who ignored him completely, his teeth clenched and eyes shining red. Without a forewarning, Itachi grabbed with his palm Sasuke's forehead and pushed it back so the Uchiha selected's gleaming red eyes met his.

Itachi suddenly raised his other hand and swept over the raven fringe covering his forehead. The exposed skin revealed a faded but still visible jagged line. Sasuke turned down his lips in a genuine grimace and let out a trapped sigh, but he daren't avert his eyes.

The two remained in silence in that position for a prolonged moment, until Itachi spoke up.

"You know how we heal abnormally fast. You know we hardly ever have scars…except for the ones we inflict upon each other. You should know this well, since you gave this one yourself. "

The scar was streaked red in a mesh of skin, fading to white as it reached the corners. Itachi closed his eyes, and the scar seemed to move slightly downwards.

"…on your first…fit.

Sasuke remained silent, his hair shading his expression. Itachi's finger brushed it up, the fringe of his hair, and found the eyes dulled back into black, blank and emotionless. The red glow was gone, but the edginess remained.

"No one will lay a hand on the girl if you knew how to conduct yourself properly. So don't sway form your duties again. "

With that, he finished the 'lecture', removing his palm from Sasuke's face. He noted the cold sweat coating its surface—not his.

After a pause, Itachi smiled with a kind of a distraught frown.

"You haven't really changed at all, Sasuke. "

But he was already out of the door.

* * *

**White Nights: Summer Solstice**

**Chapter 3- Summer Solstice**

**(Session#3–Theatre of War II)**

* * *

**(_1:45—Neutral sector of No Man's Land)_**

"Behind you, Jun! "

Yurie flipped over to the ground, the soles of her boots skidding against the surface of the ground. Mud flicked past her as she sped along the sidelines, knocking over Hyuuga Jun just in time before the opponent—a Yamanaka boy by the name Elo— landed his fist.

It was Jun's first time—she wasn't going to let him learn what it was like the hard way.

"Yurie nechan…!"

He shouted, sliding backwards in a scurried squat.

"Move back, I'll deal with him! "

Assuring Jun, Yurie flipped back to face her opponent.

Yamanaka Elo stood up, flicking the mud off his fist, his blonde fringe framing his serious face. He cringed as he flexed his right hand—a few of his fingers seemed to be broken.

"Chance…! "

Jun flitted towards the Yamanaka in a rush before Yurie could restrain him. She cursed herself for the tradition of 'not' training first-timers properly before battle as she followed his path…or in other words, only training them physically, never on how to conduct oneself, how to choose when to do and when to 'not'…

"Jun! "

Yamanaka Elo reacted fast, his head snapping back—swerving the blow—as he deftly as he pulled back for another fist. Yurie was slightly faster in response—before the Elo's fist could bust Jun's bewildered face, her leg swung over in a full arc, slamming into the boy's weaker fist, sole-first.

"…Fuck! "

With a sickening crack, Elo's wrist gave out as he was thrown upon the land in a dusty crash. A bewildered Jun stepped back, unsure of what had just happened.

"Pull back, that boy's too big for y…"

Another blow—but this time, it wasn't from the Yamanaka boy.

He was standing a couple darting feet away with his left palm cradling his right, his eyes triumphantly narrowed at her. Yurie threw off whoever that had ambushed her and leapt back a step, checking who the newcomer was. She managed to see a blur of wispy blonde locks and a flash of skin before she had to duck again and move further off.

With at least a hundred meters of space in between them, Yurie raised her head and spotted the attacker.

"Go back to the quarters and find Haruno Sakura, Elo. She'll heal that. "

A blonde girl with long limbs and a pair of icy blue eyes spoke loftily as she met Yurie's eyes with a simpering cold smile, her fist rolled up in a leather glove. She stood blocking Yurie's path to Elo, and simply snapped her wrist impatiently at her younger brother, motioning for him to scram.

Yurie grimaced. The girl standing before her was Yamanaka Ino, whose presence was usually acknowledged in the girl's basketball team back in Konoha High…but this was battle ground. The Yamanakas were famed for simple, pure stamina, and Ino happened to be the Yamanaka selected.

"Yurie nechan…? "

Jun inquired cautiously, noticing the tension bubbling in between the two. Ino smiled coquettishly at him, her pupils dilating. Yurie quickly intercepted the look, patting Jun on the arm—

"You too, Jun. Move back to the quarters, you had enough for one day. "

* * *

**_(12:42 Uchiha sector of No Man's Land )_**

Hinata was not sure if an hour had passed, or just a fleeting minute.

Sasuke was emanating warmth and the damp smell of blood, making her want to both jerk out of his grasp and remain simultaneously. He was literally doing nothing, his eyes still closed, as if waiting for an answer that would never come.

Hinata deliberately did not reply, because for one thing, she did not want to leave as he asked her to. And two, it was just fascinating for her to see Uchiha Sasuke so completely unguarded—it was amazing what the act of closing his eyes did to his overall image. He seemed more mellowed out—although stubbornly so— without his cold penetrating eyes and the cynical emptiness that went along with them.

But to anyone else in the dome, this probably would have seemed like the momentum before he attacked her, the sliver of time before his hands snapped off her arms. The blood drenching his side only seemed to confirm this fact.

At least, that was what seemed to the onlooker up in the trees.

"Not so fast, Sasuke! "

A rough order, barked out from someplace…above.

Hinata and Sasuke looked up at the trees that surrounded them; unlike Hinata though, Sasuke spotted the intruder immediately.

A wisp of honey blonde hair and a pair of long legs dangled over the branches of a giant sycamore just a few meters away.

"…let yourself down. I'm not doing anything. "

Sasuke muttered in a weary voice. The onlooker complied, uttering the words before she did so:

"What the hell is going on here…? "

The honey-blonde haired girl swiftly tipped off the edge of the branch and landed on the ground with barely a thud, a gust of wind rising up from the forest floor as she did. Unlike her lithe slim figure and delicate features, her expression was that of a hawk, her dark eyes soaking in everything in a business like manner.

_Temari, Subaku. _

Second member of the watcher team, first born of Subaku line's 36th generation, and—unknown to most other people—Nara Shikamaru's fiancée since the age 7. Most people that weren't naïvetés regarded her as something of a cold fish; she was efficient and swift with her duties, never swaying, almost never letting her personal feelings meddle with her work.

But even her stern demeanor went from passive to stunned when she saw Hinata lurking beside the Uchiha selected's side, unsure and hesitant. She voiced her surprise after a moment of uncertainty, unsure if the girl standing before her was truly Hyuuga Hinata.

"…what's going on. What is 'she' in here? "

"Something came up. "

Sasuke's hands gave Hinata's shoulder another slight squeeze, as if to remind her of what he had asked her to do. Hinata shuffled uncomfortably, hoping she did not absolutely have to give him the answer, now that someone else was present. But Sasuke's response to Hinata's shuffling was only the tightening of his grasp—though his expression remained bland and incomprehensible as always. His opened eyes returned the cold blank empty aura around him.

Sensing her discomfort, Temari ordered quietly:

"…release her, Sasuke. "

He raised an eyebrow as if to challenge her. He quietly spoke, stating the fact simply.

"I'm not doing her any harm, aren't I? "

"Release her Sasuke. "

Smirking for a brief second, Sasuke almost haughtily released her and retreated three steps away, all the while keeping his eyes on Temari as if to say—no harm done. There was a challenging sort of fury in his look, his lips twisted in a mocking smile. The rusted blood on his arm did not help the situation.

"Is there any possible explanation you can offer me for this…particular situation? "

Temari inquired her brow creasing. She eyed Hinata, who shivered and lowered her eyes.

"…someone on our line made a mistake. It won't happen again. "

He spoke easily, ignoring Hinata who flinched at those words.

'_Someone on the Uchiha line…'_

Temari's eyes fluttered—a mistake? Judging by the way Sasuke wore his expression, it did not seem as if he had anything to do with this, until now.

"If this was in any other time, I'd have sent that someone over to Shikamaru by now…but since this is not the 'right' time…"

Sasuke put emphasis on the word 'right', with a strange smirk on his face.

Observing him, Hinata realized the boy put different meanings to each 'smirk' he made. Ranging from the first one she saw back in the cafeteria—the only one that seemed to be completely without ill will—and the one she saw now, he had a wide variety of what he meant by those expressions.

So engrossed by this revelation that she did not notice his hand tightening over her right arm.

"H…huh? "

"Take her. "

With those words, Sasuke casually 'flipped' her, causing her to stumble ungracefully into Temari's side. She almost fell over headfirst, but was propelled gently onto her feet by a gust of wind—unnatural wind. She rose shakily to see Temari frowning at the Uchiha selected, whose face had lost the smirk. His messy hair framed his sudden serious face as he almost bowed slightly, his neck tilted forward.

"Get her out of here—out of the dome. You're part of the watcher team, take her out before something happens. "

Temari paused.

"Against the rules—the dome stays up until the end of White Nights. "

"Then you better make sure she doesn't get hurt. "

Temari's eyes went icy, for this was sure to interfere with her job.

And exposing Hinata to the Hyuuga line wasn't such a good idea either—they would only get enraged and the battle might get out of hand…

But she could not leave the girl unprotected, nor she could leave her with…

"Fine. I can't leave her alone, nor leave her with you—since you're an Uchiha. "

Hinata felt a cool hand on her shoulder, and found Temari standing behind her. Sasuke nodded his consent, seemingly uninterested. But he did not forget to remind her once again:

"I'll leave her to you at the moment. You're smart, Temari. You'd know how to get her somewhere safe. Get her out of the battle points at the very least. "

He disappeared in a flash, leaving behind dust in the place he stood seconds before.

Both Hinata and Temari watched the spot warily, as if he might return and tail them. But nothing happened.

"…I guess I should take you somewhere safe…if there is any at all here. "

Temari spoke thoughtfully, her hand playing with the leather pouch that was strapped to her belt—it held the small notepad, writing utensil and a cell phone, in case she needed to contact Shikamaru or Kankuro when they were occupied. She considered phoning Shikamaru and telling him what had happened...but decided against it.

It had been Shizuka's death day yesterday—he already had enough on his mind.

"Let's go. We'd do better by starting. "

* * *

**_(2:12 Uchiha sector of No Man's Land )_**

The sun shone as glaringly as ever. And the greenery never seemed to end.

By then, the path they walked seemed all the same to Hinata's eyes, the same leafy passage, the same thorny bush. She could easily get lost in here—she felt like they were walking in circles.

And it was too…serene.

"…Temari senpai? "

"…hmm? "

It seemed awfully quiet at times. Hinata had expected the entire forest to crash and burn. By the sound of the word 'battle' that was what she had come to expect. But when she inquired Temari about this, she received the smile she used to get from Neji whenever she asked a question like this—something along the lines of 'thank god you're not tainted yet'. There was an amused lilt in her voice when Temari answered after a short pause.

"I thought you'd be relieved it was quiet. "

"Well…true. But…just …"

"Curious? "

"Yes. "

The sound of their feet crunching the twigs and debris was the only noise Hinata was aware of at the moment. Temari smiled, knowing that the girl could not hear the distant shouts and crashes of trees—her ears were not open enough.

"Well. To begin with, the dome is big and the trees are packed tight. Even if a few commotions occur, the sounds are most likely to get blocked—precaution, just in case the town people start having odd speculations. "

Hinata nodded. She could imagine one of the real naïveté girls telling each other stories:

'Maybe there is an angry spirit living inside the forest. '

It was just the kind of ridiculous superstitious thing for them to believe…but once it was repeated too often, someone might make a move to 'investigate' what was really going on.

"…'also'… our battle is not like the ones in movies, with guns and people yelling and things exploding… nor is it as flashy as stylized martial flicks you see on stage. It's more a matter of efficiency than show, so both sides will avoid certain combats if necessary, to keep up their energy…because, unlike a movie, the cuts and wounds don't disappear once the battle scene ends. You don't get to wipe off the fake blood or suddenly walk off unscathed because the broken bones had been done by prop or CG. "

She finished speaking then, feeling that she'd explained enough for the girl to get the picture. Hinata frowned and felt her hand shaking on its own for the hundredth time. It sounded too real, now that it has been explained in such way.

Suddenly, Temari stopped short. Hinata stopped with her, eyeing her with questioning eyes.

Someone was here.

"Damn…I should have been scanning; shouldn't have been so careless! But then… I normally don't need to scan…"

Temari glanced at Hinata worriedly.

"I…is there something wrong? "

A sudden burst of yelling:

"…HYUUGA! There's a Hyuuga on territory! "

Hinata turned around in horror.

A blond boy with aching blue eyes—suddenly present on the forest grounds—was pointing at her, shouting. He turned and ran towards his destination as soon as he shouted, probably to warn others. And just like the time with Tenten, she could distinguish his features as he stormed towards a building that rose in the middle of a thickly thatched tree patch, his blond hair flying.

Temari recognized the boy immediately—Yamanaka Elo.

"Damn it! This is Uchiha ground—we should've taken a detour! "

She hesitated, and then took Hinata's hand in her own. She looked down regretfully.

"I'm not supposed to interfere with any fight that goes around in here, unless someone's breaking the rules. There has 'never'…never been something like this before. So…I seriously do not know in god's name, what to do with you. "

Hinata swallowed nervously at the words; Temari seemed cold and uncaring at times, too businesslike. But then, the cool hand was squeezing hers once more, the voice informing her with slightly more confidence:

"But don't worry—I won't let you get hurt. "

And the jolt—Temari pulled her along and they were suddenly running.

But Hinata remembered, running was no use. Even the slower ones it seemed could outrun her pace in a matter of seconds. And if someone as fast as Sasuke happened to chase them…

"Duck! "

Hinata felt Temari's hand forcefully pushing her head down and heard something crash near them, the ground shaking thinly as it did. She heard a male voice whooping. Cold sweat engulfed her as she identified the voice as an Inuzuka.

"They're already on us… "

Temari murmured, checking her steps as she stooped a feet as she darted under a lopsided branch. Hinata followed her, the held hand the only thing allowing her to follow Temari's speed.

"We'd never get out of here without me having to break a couple of rules… those foolish Inuzukas never stop to 'think'! They'll attack as they listen to me explain! "

Temari pulled Hinata with her as she whipped back and made a cutting gesture at a giant tree that loomed before them. To Hinata's astonishment, the tree fell quietly, the cut at its base smooth as a knife cut. She left that as an obstacle and continued to pull Hinata with her. Staring back at the tree in awe, Hinata looked at Temari in a different light.

"W…why can't you fight them…? You seem re…really strong. And they can't hurt you, right? Because you're part of the watcher team, Neji told… me. "

Hinata asked breathlessly as she ran the length, trying to keep up with the older girl's pace. She recalled Neji telling her that no one from each line could dare touch a watcher team member—they were neutral, and that was the set rules. And Temari seemed capable of battle. She could fight her way through and perhaps they could 'both' somehow come out this unscathed.

But Temari sighed grimly and informed her—

"When a subordinate breaks a rule, the leader almost always gets penalized as well, because he is supposed to look after the entire group he is head of. "

Temari suddenly cut left, taking Hinata along. They ran through a mass of sycamores—sounds of footsteps and crushing lumber was thundering near.

She yelled over the noise:

"If I break rules, it's always Shikamaru who has to pay the real price…because, we're not bound in just… superior and subord…! "

A boulder came to a flying stop in front of them, an enormous tree jarring it a moment after. It made a complete mess as the other weaker trees fell or broke after its demise, almost like nature's dominoes. It toppled over in continuity, and Hinata had to stop to shove her hands by her ears to block out the racket—she could not imagine that 'tranquility' she had experienced only a half hour back. It was hell in here.

"No use…we're trapped. "

Hinata saw from Temari's expression—it would take too long to remove all that mess from the trail. It also would take to long to amble up over the broken trees.

Trapped.

Temari braced herself suddenly, her hand raised uncertainly towards a sudden figure darting towards them—the first of many soon to come. To Hinata's dismay, it was a face she recognized: Inuzuka Kazu.

'The' Inuzuka Kazu with his stocky build and grudge towards the pitiful useless naïveté girl—for he almost was executed for his conducts back in Konoha High.

"Hinata… stay back. "

Inuzuka Kazu stopped in his tracks, eyeing Temari inquiringly, noting her stance. He did not see Hinata's face, hidden by Temari; he had only heard Elo shouting 'Hyuuga' and came along for the romp.

Deciding that Temari was only there for rule-keeping and not interfering, he sprang into movement, darting across the space with an avid look on his face, his slanted eyes bursting into lime.

Temari hesitated—if she did something, if she had to, it would be Shikamaru who would be berated by all the elders, Hyuuga and Uchiha alike, for it would seem as if they were taking sides…

"Move back! "

Before she had to decide, Uchiha Sasuke unexpectedly shoved himself in the middle, making a sudden appearance. He turned to face Kazu and raised his hand to stop him—the Inuzuka obeyed in perplexity. Temari blinked in surprise mingled with relief as she stopped herself from attacking.

"Wha…"

Thinking Sasuke was there to help, Kazu pursued Hinata again—or to his thinking, 'some Hyuuga'—even more aggressively, darting towards her in a leap—at least this time, he did not expect the Uchiha selected to block him.

He came to an inch's worth of distance to Hinata before he was pulled back with such force that he crashed into a boulder positioned far back .

"W…what? "

Kazu sat mystified on the ground before he stood up enraged, his sense of rationality leaving him. Either something had gone mad, or the Uchiha selected was out to get him. He shouted indignantly:

"What the fuck is going on? Why the hell do you hate me so much, damn 'stiff'! "

Even with his injuries, Kazu leapt up again, swiping in a large arc, skirting Sasuke. He pulled back a fist at the crouched Hinata, his eyes widened and glaring.

"…fuck! "

_The sound of something breaking. _

She even expected it this time—he was always there when she felt the need, though not in the normal sense.

Uchiha Sasuke intercepted the fist and twisted it, and a wrenching roar escaped from Inuzuka Kazu. It achingly reminded Hinata of the conversation she had with Sasuke back under the willows—_"…Breaking off a tree branch is not going to hurt the tree much in general—it sometimes helps. But when you break off an arm and leg of a person… "_

She watched in fascinated horror as she saw him in proper combat for the first time—this time, she could not distinguish his movements as she had done with Tenten or the blonde boy. Kazu fell the moment Sasuke moved, doubling over in incredulity and pain. Before the Inuzuka could holler for help, Sasuke swiftly kicked his head, bashing him unconscious.

Hinata's mouth dropped at the nonchalance in which he did so.

Temari's mouth was open too, but it was not because of the deliberate violence on display.

Sasuke ignored their expressions as he barked out his orders:

"Take her to the watcher grounds—that at the very least is neutral, isn't it…? "

"Sasuke…? Are you crazy, they're your own line! "

Sasuke jerked his head back for a second to face Temari and Hinata; he wore a sardonic smile, his eyes glowing blood red. He shouted back—

"I have eyes, I can see that! "

—as he slammed his fist into an unknowing rash follow-up, a stocky pinch faced Haruno boy who resembled Lee. The boy fell like a pile of rags, landing next to Inuzuka Kazu, who was still out cold.

"He's…mad. "

Temari whispered, but then was jolted to her senses. She tugged on Hinata's hand and nodded.

"We better move, Hinata, we have a long way to go—this dome is bigger than you might think it is."

She seemed up for a challenge this time, her eyes sharpening, calculating her surroundings. She broke into a sudden sprint, Hinata's hand in hers, as she spoke:

"Let's go—can't waste the chance he's given us; he's putting his own neck on the line for this, mind you. "

As much as Hinata lacked knowledge about White Nights in particular, she could guess what the Uchiha selected had done back there—turn against his own line. She could only guess what the penalty might be by Temari's disbelief at his action. He was attacking his own line, in the middle of a White Nights battle.

_Unheard of. _

She concentrated on running fast, her sore feet stumbling over broken pieces of rock and scattered debris, hearing the baffled incredulous voice of Inuzuka Kiba as he hollered:

"Sasuke… WHAT are you doing? "

She heard no reply.

* * *

**(bloodiedsugs's words on WNSS-**

AH, well. One thing I've learned while writing this particular chapter, is that I either 'suck at' or 'am too lazy' to write a proper action scene that actually sounds exciting. Lol. But I think it's more fun writing an action scene…because I hardly get to write those. This is more action than I got to write in on chapter than the rest of the entire story combined...lol.

Sorry this is late; but I have an absolute excuse. Damn midterms of my senior year… so… please excuse my tardiness. I still have my SATs and APs to complete. Sigh. Extra long chapter to compensate… see? =)

Bear with me. )


	20. Convene

"_**The White Nights describes the few weeks around the summer solstice during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. The sun does not set until late at night, and twilight lasts much longer."**_

* * *

There was that feeling again.

Neji frowned to the direction where he sensed another commotion—there were multiples going on, but that one seemed to be the largest. He glanced at Ryuha who was eyeing the same spot, his left eye half closed due to a swelling on his face. He pointed it out.

"You got a bruise on your face. Who did that? "

Ryuha grinned in a mock-angry manner, his hands reaching up to swipe at the base of his neck. A bluish black bruise swirled at the crossing between his eye and nose.

"A Haruno bastard. "

Forgetting about his premonition for the moment, Neji took the time to grin back.

"A 'Haruno'? I know you're not into this at all, but isn't that a bit too much? "

Ryuha returned a sarcastic look as he spat into the ground.

"You're not getting it, see? I went for the guy's legs, but got to careless about his arms—they were flailing like a drowning man's. One caught me on the eye—pure luck. "

"So you say. "

Still grinning, Neji flung himself over a side of broken debris with ease… and stopped, face frozen in mid-grin. Ryuha followed suit, and almost crashed into Neji's back. Swerving sideways, he began to gripe, but then caught sight of his cousin's eyes—embossed and flaming a milky white sheen.

"Oi, what's with the sudden…"

Ryuha inquired, gesturing towards his eyes with his index finger. Without replying, Neji stared intently ahead for a moment in a crouch, and then stood up stiffly, his expression knotted in a frown.

After a prolonged moment of silence, he spoke cautiously.

"It's weird, don't you think? "

"What's weird? "

He motioned in thin air, and then tapped at his eyes.

"It's light, you might not catch this without your byakugan. "

Seeing Neji's adamant look, Ryuha let out a sigh—he disliked having anything to do with actually fighting—and lowered his head lightly. When he lifted his face, his eyes were identical to his cousin's, seeing further ahead, sensing beyond what he was normally capable of.

He caught the wind.

"…what the…"

"See what I mean? "

Neji met Ryuha opaque eyes with his own, doubtful and wary. Ryuha murmured to himself, disbelieving:

"…this is not possible."

"True. Gaara's dome's up, and nothing can get in, either with force or accidentally. "

"We could be malfunctioning. "

Neji gave a withering look.

"Forget it, we're not machines that break down or… malfunction as you put it. "

Ryuha grimaced then shook his head twice. His eyes faded, returning to its lavender hue. He spoke dryly.

"Well, I just hoped I was wrong. "

Neji smiled wearily, his eyes returning normal as well.

"I do too… If it had been just you, I'd let it go, but I sense it too. "

A slight rumble in the ground unsettled their feet. Neji looked beyond the thick swarm of trees, his eyes crinkling under the harsh glare of the sun. He let out a gusty sigh and growled:

"Why the hell do I sense Hinata in No Man's Land? "

* * *

**White Nights: Summer Solstice**

**Chapter 3- Summer Solstice**

**(Session#4–Convene)**

* * *

"He's doing WHAT? "

Sakura jumped to her feet—she had been idling off at the base of a sycamore patch, hidden from the commotion. It had been Lee who ticked her off on the news, his face flushed with excitement and horror.

"I'm telling you the truth! He bashed Kazu's head in for that girl! A…And, you should've seen him! He took out a bunch of people in less than a minu…""

"He took out a bunch of people. In 'our'… line?... "

It was an intense nausea that suddenly overcame her, and she slid back down onto the ground in a heap.

"No…no way. "

Sakura gripped her arm tightly. Sasuke had never been the most level headed selected, but he's at least been sensible. If he 'crossed' the line for anything, he knew the consequences all too well to have gone too far.

But this was too far.

"He's gone mad, I tell you! And you gotta come fast; there's a bunch of casualties…none dead of course. I…I mean, Sasuke would never…"

Lee quickly added, seeing the livid look on his sister's increasingly blotching face. He tapped the soles of his shoes impatiently against the muddy ground, but Sakura still made no move to hurry to the injured masses. Instead, she questioned him again with the burnt out ferocity of a dead candle:

"…is, is there any chance that this is sort of a…fit? Like the ones he used to get before he could control himself? "

Lee winced.

"…sorry, sis. He's in complete control. Kiba was flipping mad, shouting all sorts at Sasuke—and I'd never seen him do that to a superior. I'd expect 'they're' fighting now. "

"…Sasuke against Kiba? "

"Or not…! "

Lee quickly added again, but Sakura had sprung to her feet with a hazy desperate look etched onto her face—the world she'd known was crumbling. Sasuke and Kiba—as much as she thought their personalities incompatible at times—were the best of comrades and friends, at least in the world they lived in.

And she might have understood had Sasuke been in a fit.

But he was not—Lee said so. Thus, he had been acting completely on his own terms.

_To protect that bitch?_

She seethed.

* * *

"Te…mari, please, I think we've…lost them…! "

Hinata's face was chalk-white, and her breath came in ragged gusts by the time they finally slowed down. She crumpled on the ground on fours. The greenery had gotten thick again, but Hinata welcomed the meaning the abundant vegetation conveyed in them—no fighting had occurred around this area recently.

Temari stood in perfect composure, waiting for the girl to catch up on her breath. Her forehead was creased and she kept turning her head back to the direction of the Uchiha sector, but her fierce expression softened when she saw that Hinata had somehow stood up and was holding out her hand for Temari to guide. She reached out and squeezed Hinata's hand, lowering it for her.

"…I think we'll be safe around for a while. We're nearing the watchers sector of the dome. "

"Wat…chers? We got out of the Uchiha territory…?"

"Yes. Thanks to Sasuke. "

_Thanks to Sasuke…_

This made Temari frown again. She could not imagine what Sasuke had been thinking when he did what he did—not that she was not grateful, for if he hadn't done it, it could have been Shikamaru getting chewed out by the elders. And it was just too much of a bad time of the year for him to go through that without having done anything wrong.

But still, this was rash, even for the volatile Uchiha selected.

"Is Nara senpai… here?

Hinata asked, slightly apprehensive. If it was watcher's territory, did it not mean the watcher would be here? She had never settled on a firm opinion about the guy—he was as much as an anomaly as Sasuke sometimes was.

She kept recalling the blank chilling glances he used to get during their talk in No Man's land the previous week.

"No…he could be anywhere. He doesn't like his duties, but he takes them seriously. "

Temari answered, her eyes searching for her other half nevertheless. Perhaps he was here—he usually took a rest before moving onto the Uchiha sector. She walked over to the large thistle bush and hacked it down by wind, forming a way into the clearing where the watcher's quarters lay.

_Crack. _

'Shit…what now? '

Hinata looked oblivious, but Temari sensed something, someone nearby. It was not Shikamaru, nor was it Kankuro.

Whoever it was, she wasn't about to let he/she roam too freely on watcher's ground, especially with Hinata around. This ground was neutral, after all.

_Crack. _

In one motion, Temari whipped around lashed out at the mass of greenery that stood beside her—bringing down a mass of timber, about to slice down whomever that had creeped up on the both of them…

"…? Sasuke! "

Temari lowered her threatening arm and gaped at the Uchiha selected instead. He stood with his legs parted and bent, his crown of raven hair hiding his face, breathing raggedly. He raised a hand half heartedly as a greeting, than straightened up. Hinata gasped.

"You look a mess, you know that? "

Temari informed him, her trailing the mud stains and blood splotched sporadically upon his clothes and skin. Sasuke sarcastically tugged once at the hem of his soiled shirt and sighed.

"…got into a slight scuffle with Kiba. I didn't want to hurt him. "

"So you decided to 'not' defend yourself? Can you even stand right now? "

He heard the cynical incredulous tone in Temari's voice and grunted nonchalantly, averting his eyes. He viciously kicked back a tree that stood behind him—it fell with a sudden thundering crash. He muttered gruffly:

"I have enough energy in me, thank you very much. "

Temari crossed her arms.

"Yes, but to take on your entire line? "

"I'm not going to take on my entire line…! "

He sounded thrown off course, shaken. Hinata chanced a glance at his face, and saw that it was streaked with blood—but was it his? He met her eyes for a moment, and looked away, seemingly disturbed.

"Well, despite your true intentions, Itachi—not to mention the elders—are surely going to think 'that's' what you meant to do…Sasuke. "

Temari eyed him with respect mingled with pity, and suddenly started walking away towards the watchers' quarters. She went inside the small building, but before she did so, she turned back and called:

"I'll go get some salve for you—I don't expect we can take you back to Haruno as they usually do. And stay clear cutting down anymore trees, you don't want to attract attention! "

With that, the honey-blonde head disappeared into the door.

Hinata stood awkwardly next to the Uchiha selected, half her body wishing she was somewhere else, and the other half feeling obliged to conjure up a "thank you." But before she could properly muster up courage to speak, Sasuke cut into the silence in a gruff tone, his eyes staring ahead:

"I…didn't do it for you, you have that clear? I'm doing this for myself. "

Hinata blinked once, and then quickly replied:

"Yes. "

"Am I clear…? "

"…y,yes! "

He sounded more like he was trying to convince himself. He lifted his arm and attempted to wipe away the blood, but it only managed to get himself messier. Hinata reached for the handkerchief in her pocket, but hesitated when he sensed the motion and gave her a death glare. He turned his body to face her and started speaking quickly in a low repressed tone, looking somehow, immensely bothered:

"…you told me back there in the clearing, that I've got something dying inside me. Why did you say that? And one more thing, why the hell won't you leave? "

"I…"

Hinata didn't have the answers to both of the questions, but she felt she could not just ignore them. She could not make something up either, not to someone who'd just risked his life and reputation to put her out of danger. Without waiting for her answer, Sasuke continued speaking, his eyes on the ground as if he was thinking something through:

"I'm guessing you have to stay in the dome until White Nights is over…since it is impossible to let down the dome. But once it's over, I'm taking you with me—out of this town. "

Hinata jumped.

"What…? But my parent's divor…"

"Bullshit—they can take care of you. If they can't, I'm putting you in a hotel until they 'can' take of you. "

"Hotel…? "

He sounded too determined for Hinata to rebut. She wanted to say something plenty, but stopped. Instead, she shakily ventured another question.

"Why… do you… want me out of here so much? "

The sound of cicadas crying seeped into the silence that took place. It seemed almost ridiculous, the amount of time and energy this boy who 'barely' knew her, spent to get her out of Konoha. It was even more ridiculous to think he was doing it to get her out of danger, when he seemed to hate her and her entire family.

Sasuke wearily leaned against a tree and muttered savagely:

"…it's dangerous. Do you 'want' to die? "

"Why do you care if I…die? "

Finally, the question she'd been meaning to ask, but never quite was able to put into words. She looked at him questioningly, and he looked away. He scowled, and a thin jagged cut on his cheek shifted, seeping out a small spot of blood through the rusted scar.

"Forget it. It will take a million years to explain. "

He disgustedly shook his head once, and turned his head at Hinata with a deadbeat sidelong glance.

"And I doubt you'd want to hear about it anyways. "

Hinata felt that small surge of anger again.

No one told her anything. Not Neji, not Hiashi, not Yurie, not Tenten….and yet, they all expected her to go along with whatever shit that was thrown in her face.

She was sick of it all.

"I do want to hear it…w, why won't anyone tell me anything? "

"Because you're a naïveté! Damn it! "

_Flinch. _

He shouted, a vein throbbing at the base of his neck, his eyes lighting up red.

She was too surprised to think, and so did not noticed he had somehow accidentally given her the answer to her question. _Why did he care? She was a naïveté._

"Sasuke, calm down! "

Temari ran out of the house and—to Hinata's eyes—almost flew over, a gust of wish hashing the dry grass as she did so. She tossed the tube of salve to Sasuke and frowned and him, tapping at her eyes:

"Take away that glow, there's no one around to attack you. "

Sasuke numbly eyed the tube of salve, and looked at Temari with his blood red eyes, almost resignedly.

"…oh really? "

With that, he swiped back and rammed his body through the clump of trees that stood a few meters back of Hinata, tearing the lot apart before Temari could protest. The tall trees that seemed to belong in its place for years to come crashed down one after another, creating yet another pile of lumber that would have taken at least a full hour for a machine to ram down.

Behind the mess of debris and branches, there stood a figure who stood locked in space as if he could not sense the commotion in front of him. He stood as if he'd been standing there for the longest time, listening, and waiting.

Or just was in shock.

* * *

_'Shikamaru, it's your duty. I'm sorry the way Shizuka... what she did... she meant well we know, but it was not the right way. You do realize, don't you? '_

Patrolling the grounds, it was all he could ever think about.

He sighed irritably at the irony of it all: Shizuka meant well, but that whole incident had ended up a curse for him.

Passing over the line that supposedly diveded sectors, Shikamaru paused at a clearing and stopped to watch a ladybug squirm in a cobweb, its wing fluttering now and then. The spider approached it slowly, almost tantalizing the way it crossed over the barely visible thread of its web. It reminded him of Nahoko. It reminded him of the whole incident with Shizuka. He might as well have been the ladybug, and the spider Uchiha Nahoko, slowy making her way through, her perfect oval face bent over him, smiling at him. Her eyes lighted red. And he could do nothing.

It made him want to retch.

A spread of hand, a small twitch-that was all it took to stop the ladybug from being torn apart. The spider had stopped its motions, frozen by the shadowlock. Shikamaru stared blankly at the frozen spider, then with a finger, released the ladybug from its captive. He watched as it weakly flew away, the course of its flight drooping sporadically.

Well, he just saved that ladybug.

But no one had saved him, back then. Except for Shizuka-she had tried.

The spider, freshly released from its shadow lock, wandered around the web in a silent frenzy, apparenly mad that its dinner had gotten away. Shikamaru stood up from the spot, and yawned, feeling weary. He felt a small relief, as if someone had released him from an invisible prison. With a lightened heart, he looked back down at the spider.

It went about repairing the hole Shikamaru's finger had made upon the sticky web. For a new captive.

_-flash-_

It was one of those rare times when he got out of control. Years had passed since the days he'd been called a psycho, an insane fuck-just like Sasuke was being called now-but still, he had minor revivals. He still remembered too clearly, Uchiha Nahoko's fingers on his bare chest, the scars she inflicted, the sound of her silky voice. He knew exactly what it was like...to be captive.

Fuck.

Before he knew what he was doing, his hand shot out at its own accord, his eyes flashing open in twisted anger, an unknown murderous rage trapped behind the usually dulled black. His spread hand whipped into a tight fist, and the space where the spider's web stood blasted out, the earth tipping over in a meter cirumference. Shikamaru could now see the roots of the tree beneath the tipped over mud, and the sandy layer below the mud that lay deep. The spider was nowhere to be seen.

He breathed out, his arm limply returning to his side.

Overkill. Perhaps.

But it helped kill the rage.

* * *

"Sis...what the hell is that girl doing in here? "

Temari loosened her tense nerves-it was only Kankuro.

She'd almost mistaken him for a Inuzuka, due to the rusty red hue of his hair. She glared at Sasuke for making it seem as if there was someone like...say, Neji behind the trees. By the looks of it, Sasuke had known all along and had just been messing around.

She sighed irritantly.

"...there's...been a mistake. A huge mistake, but we're going to tough it out. Hinata here will be protected by us in the watcher's area until White Nights is over. "

"A mistake? This is some freak mistake; no wonder there was that huge commotion at the Uchiha sector... d'you know what would happen if the Hyuugas find out? "

Kankuro gaped at Hinata as if she was some circus animal before turning back to his sister with an angsty worried look. Hinata shrank back and bit her lips.

Everywhere she went, it seemed, she caused trouble.

"That is precisely why we're choosing to not...let any Hyuugas find out she's here. "

"Does Shikamaru know? "

Temari winced-that particular point, she did not want to discuss just yet. Things were going bad enough for him without this sort of burden dumped on him.

"No...he doesn't know. Yet. I'll tell as soon as he gets back from his round. "

"...you do that. He's not going to like more responsibilty you bet. "

Kankuro scratched his head with a squint, then awkwardly glanced at the bloody Uchiha selected. Sasuke levelly stared back until Kankuro turned away. Meanwhile, Temari turned to Hinata with a weary smile.

"I guess you'd be staying in our quarters. You can relax until Shikamaru comes back, then we'll discuss how we'd deal with this all. "

"...okay. "

Hinata mouthed, suddenly unable to make a sound. It was all too much. Too overwhelming.

Temari turned swiftly and faced Sasuke, a shadow passing her face.

"...what are you going to do Sasuke? I...doubt you can go back just now. "

"I might. "

"You're kidding me. "

Sasuke smirked. But it was an angry smirk, his eyes staring at the ground, his teeth gritted.

"I guess...I'll stick around. "

Because there was no way of knowing what Itachi would do back at the Uchiha sector.

* * *

**(bloodiedsugs's words on WNSS-**

Late...but i've been taking tests nonstop...in fact, i have one the day after tomorrow *whoops, yay. -_-* ... so... sorry ? ^^;;

This session is kinda garbled, and i'm not proud of it...but...just trying to update and keep up. -sigh-... yeah.


	21. Refine and Divide

"_**The White Nights describes the few weeks around the summer solstice during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. The sun does not set until late at night, and twilight lasts much longer."**_

* * *

"Who did this? "

A washed out voice, hollow and disbelieving.

Haruno Sakura turned with a questioning eye to Kiba, waiting for an answer.

Grudgingly, Kiba scowled deeply, his fist rammed against his bruised side. But it was a gesture of confusion, not pain.

Sasuke hadn't really… done his job at all, hasn't he? He didn't fight properly—if he had, the Inuzuka selected would not be standing here in a bad mood like this. Kiba knew how violent the young selected could get when he was in his "element," but the Sasuke back at the clearing was too calm, too calculating. As if he was watching himself from overkill.

In return, he received some bad blows from Kiba who hadn't been exactly returning the favor. Still, even after he received those blows, Sasuke did not lash back.

That was the source of his confusion. Why?

"…No one in particular. "

"It was Sasuke…. wasn't it? "

Sakura took another weary glance at the catastrophic scene before moving on to overlook the casualty. Kiba was about to growl back—why did you fucking ask if you already knew, Haruno?—but checked himself when he saw her squeeze her eyes shut, in tears.

Damn, he hated crying women.  
"I didn't want to believe it…but I guess it is true, huh? Lee was telling me the goddamn…truth. "

"You got only yourself to bla… "

"Did he fight you too? Sasuke? Did he? "

Haruno suddenly clung to him, her mint green eyes blazing with tears and something he recognized as terrified jealousy, if such a thing existed. He cringed at her misery and stepped away.

"…he did. "

Kiba muttered, trying to ignore the bright tears fresh on her face. She had been mumbling something under her breath, but spluttered out in indignant rage at his reply.

"For her…? "

There, Kiba finally got what had been bothering her.

He exploded at her:

"For SHAME, Haruno! Is that all you can think about? You landed in our hands more casualty than a band of Hyuuga would in a day—don't you dare shirk from this, you know this wasn't Sasuke's fault!"

"I know it wasn't his fault, it was the naïveté's! "

At this, Kiba roared and clamped both his hands on to Sakura's shoulder, his lemon yellow eyes glaring. He brought his face closer to hers and growled:

"I will kill you if you say more, I swear, Haruno—I will! "

"…Kib…"

She clamped her mouth shut, her huge eyes glaring back at his. A prolonged moment passed without both of them moving, until Kiba flung his hands away in disgust.

"…you… go do your job, Haruno. There are patients waiting for you back there. Broken ribs, crushed legs, cuts and bruises—go work your fucking magic. "

He turned swiftly away, his hands slightly trembling in anger.

"…and don't breathe a word about this entire fiasco to anyone else. It will be the death of you. "

"Where…are "you" going? "

Kiba's head swiveled back an inch. He had not taken down his transformation, and his eyes still glowed lime.

"To retrieve Sasuke. "

* * *

**White Nights: Summer Solstice**

**Chapter 3- Summer Solstice**

**(Session#5– Refine and divide)**

* * *

"Doom and gloom, Temari. What's happening with this year's White nights anyways? "

Kankuro moodily eyed the back of the room where Hinata sat meekly. Sasuke was outside, brooding.

"I'm guessing there are other factors involved, but just looking at the bare facts, it's not a healthy start. "

"Tell me about it. "

Kankuro kicked his boots off and stretched out on the shelter's sofa. He muttered wearily:

"I am so looking forward to dealing with the elders with this one… great. They are going to murder us alive. "

"It's Shikamaru alone who is going to have to deal with this, and I'm not in for that. "

Temari snapped at Kankuro, her lithe arms crossed indignantly across her chest. She took another glance at Hinata who was wilting—poor dear was obviously thinking this was all her fault. Temari softened.

"Don't look like that, honey. We know it's not your fault. "

Hinata's head snapped up, her lavender eyes huge. Temari continued with a dark look:

"It's "somebody's" fault, true, but it's not your fault. A someone with an inclination for the Uchihas. The only problem I have with this is that Shikamaru will not have a clue of what's going on when he arriv…"

"I won't have a what? "

All three of them flinched and turned to the doorway. There stood the current watcher with a light frown betraying his normally stoic nature, his eyes scanning the room. His tall frame threw a lanky shadow across the room, its spiky top reaching to where Hinata's feet lay frozen. His eyes widened slightly as he processed the information.

"…what's this then? … "

He stepped into the room quietly and questioningly eyed Temari and Kankuro, both of whom were averting their eyes. Temari attempted to explain, but failed to find the correct words:

"There was a …glitch. Somebody on the Uchiha side brought Hinata into the dome…and…"

Shikamaru closed his eyes and rubbed a knuckle across his forehead.

"Well she seems okay, no injuries. "

"Yes, but…"

He yawned then crossed the room and settled on the sofa with a tired look on his bleary eyes. His hands went to the back of his head and crossed themselves casually.

"As long as nothing else happened—this, we can deal with. "

"Well there …is actually something else…"

Temari lilted off, her expression uncertain.

Shikamaru glanced up at her, shaking his head. He muttered hollowly:

"…no. Don't tell me it has something to do with "him" outside the window, eavesdropping at this very moment. I knew something was up at the Uchiha sector…!"

With those words, a shadow leapt up from the floor and swung open the window so fast that it almost caught Sasuke on the face. He scowled tremendously at this treatment.

"…that was not necessary, Nara. "

"And was whatever you did necessary Sasuke? "

"I was not eavesdropping. "

"You know I wasn't talking about that. "

Hinata blinked at the scene.

It was unnerving to see Sasuke seem the protesting one and Shikamaru the angry. It was almost as if they had changed places. For the first time, she saw Nara senpai's hard coating of impassiveness melt away—in its place, a tired cynical teenager's persona emerged. Shikamaru flipped up his middle finger as his lowered his head resignedly.

"…well, fuck you, Sasuke; I guess I will have to dance like a bitch in heat to drag you out of this one. "

Hinata blushed and Temari stifled a smile. Sasuke glowered as he swiftly slid inside through the open windows.

"Now, what was it that you did? "

* * *

**(Uchiha sector)**

Kiba seethed in dark humor as he hacked through the forest grounds. He was too het up to curve and follow a path—he kicked down whatever got in his way.

It would have been a fine thing if anyone from the Hyuuga line were to cross his path. Then, he would have something to vent his anger off, but there was no one, except:

"Whoever the fuck has been following me for ten minutes straight—you better get out before I drag you out. "

Kiba grumbled at a bush two steps behind him. Among the greens stepped out a pig-tailed Uchiha, Miharu to be precise. She stepped out pertly with an odd smile on her face.

Kiba spat. Her impish smile grew wider.

"What a nice welcome—but I come in peace today. "

"Likely story, brat. Go off before you drive me so mad that I have to attack my own line."

At this, Miharu's eyes gleamed.

"Like my dear brother had done this afternoon? To you?"

Kiba's head snapped back as he glared at the girl, his eyes glowing.

"Too bad Itachi isn't here so that you can run off to him to report. "

He growled. She tilted her head triumphantly though as she informed him:

"White nights is going to be over sooner or later you know. And try thinking what might happen then. "

Kiba grimaced at this. He knew all too well how Itachi liked to run things in their line—with a heavy hand. As long as they kept within the rules, it was fine, but Sasuke had done more than cross the rules. He was literally going to get locked up if not worse.

"You didn't just come here to inform of me your brother's misfortune? "

"No, I come with a compromise. "

Kiba turned around completely and eyed Miharu with incredulous suspicion.

"You? Compromise? …what do you have to even compromise with? "

"Information. And a plan. "

She answered with a sweet sickly smile, her eyes narrowing.

"I'm a very good eavesdropper…and you happened to talk to the person to blame just moments before. "

Kiba frowned, and then started at the obvious fact before him.

"My god, you'd been listening to me and Haruno? "

Miharu's nose pinched as if she had smelled something rancid.

"Yes…Haruno."

She grounded the heel of her shoes into the dirt, her eyes flaming like red coals.

"I really don't get why their family gets treated as part of our line at all. They're simply useless. "

Kiba was still furious with Sakura, but having Miharu in front of him—whom he despised more—it was hard not to back her up. He racked his brain and blurted out the first good-and probably the only-thing about Sakura.

"Haruno is a good healer. "

Miharu scoffed with genuine contempt.

"Ino is a good healer—or can be, if we teach her well. Even I can heal. And that's just beside the point. The point is that all Haruno Sakrua had managed to do is create more trouble, and for her own selfish needs. What more do I need to say? "

Kiba frowned.

"…say it. "

Miharu stepped towards him, looking up at his 180 plus form as she approached.

"I blame it all on Sakura, and Sasuke comes out of this unscathed. "

Kiba's eyes hardened.

There was no easy way out of this predicament. He knew one way or the other, there had to be a sacrifice on somebody's part. But Miharu just wanted to turn it all on Haruno Sakura alone, which was going to be no easy feat.

"…and how are you going to accomplish that? Because I doubt Itachi would buy it. "

Miharu rolled her eyes at this question and crossed her arms with a smirk.

"The beauty of this, is that you were the only one present at that fiasco with Sasuke…the only one who came out of it "conscious" anyways. You can say Sasuke was in the biggest fit he's ever gone through. And those other people who got injured-say that they got concussion or something and that they're memory can't be trusted. As long as you testify what I say, I'm sure I can bail Sasuke out of most of his trouble…just leave the bitch to me. "

The Inuzuka selected was lost for words as he gouged what the Uchiha messenger was saying. He started to speak, stopped then spoke again in an unnerved tone, the lemon hue finally gone from his eyes.

"Look, Sakura was indeed stupid for bringing the naïveté girl in—she was short sighted, foolish and vain. I don't deny that. But it's Sasuke who turned on our side and attacked; "that" was his own choice. "

"And I thought you two were friends. Or did you secretly bear some animosity towards him? Do you want to see Sasuke chained again? "

Kiba threw a heady punch at the tree beside him, glowering at the pert figure in front of him with venom.

Like to see Sasuke chained? Like hell he would. He remembered rather clearly the first time he met the Uchiha selected—only then, Itachi was the selected, since he had not graduated yet. He'd heard from elders that Sasuke used to be a meek mellow type of kid, couldn't hurt a fly and all that. But when Kiba arrived at the Uchiha estate, the damage had been done and Sasuke was already a brooding vitally angry person, prone to violence. Basically a fuckhead.

And whenever he was riddled with his "fits," his own kin chained him up in a dungeon type room that Kiba initially thought only existed in the 18th century. No windows, no light.

"…"

At last, he met Miharu's eyes with a question:

"…what has she ever done to you? "

Miharu smiled again.

"…she exists. And she is pathetic. "

She held up both her tiny hands and gestured.

"If this means anything to you, Kiba, I will spell it out for you: opportunity. "

"…opportunity for what? "

She smiled angelically.

"Getting rid of pests. "

* * *

**(Hyuuga sector)**

"I don't like this. Neji, just forget it! "

"I have to check this out for myself, Ryuha."

Ryuha held back, shaking his head skeptically.

"There's no way Hinata's in here—say "we're" malfunctioning. I mean it. "

"All I'm going to do it check. Come on—with flitting it wouldn't take a minute."

Neji impatiently hurried the hesitant Ryuha, his form already crouched as if to sprint. Ryuha merely stepped back a step and help up a hand:

"It means interfering with our dear Shika; we sensed her in the neutral territory. We don't want minus points with the watcher team, Neji. Not during the White Nights."

Neji stood up straight again and sighed. He eyed the abundant greenery obscuring his vision, and then back at Ryuha's face. He flung his hands.

"Fine. "

"You're not going? "

"No, I am going. But you can stay. "

"Neji…"

Ryuha grimaced at the adamant look on his cousin brother's face.

"You're really going to go, aren't you? "

"Yeah. "

Ryuha sniffed, then shook his head with a frown. He crossed his arms and sighed, crouching down on a tree stump.

"Well I hope I'm malfunctioning. "

"Not that again, Ryuha…"

"Nah. It's just that…"

Neji turned to find Ryuha's byakugan activated.

"…I sense the Uchiha kid in the neutral sector. "

* * *

**(bloodiedsugs words on WNSS-)**

SasuHina will be here. I swear to god.

Just….taking care of the overwhelming plot that I'm not too skillful at writing out.

And…

Ha. I'm back.

Does anyone even remember me? Or this story?. ... huh. (lol)

Bear with me. )


	22. CoalesceConflict

"_**The White Nights describes the few weeks around the summer solstice during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. The sun does not set until late at night, and twilight lasts much longer."**_

* * *

Ryuha stared dully into the space where Neji had disappeared moments before. He regretted not having stopped his cousin brother a little more enthusiastically—after all, there was no way in hell Hinata was inside the sand dome. He had a bad hunch, that Neji would have a run-in with the Uchiha kid one way or the other.

'And we all know how 'that' would end, don't we? '

He thought bitterly, recalling the first time that occurred, 7 years ago in this forsaken place.

Hizaki dead, and both made enemies out of themselves.

It was uncanny how each and every Uchiha and Hyuuga had "reasons" to hate each other. To Ryuha, it was just a stupid propaganda, 600 years of standing that the elders managed to feed to the younger ones. But everyone ate it up. And see what happens—people die every year, get injured. Make more hate, create more reason to loathe the other side.

"…useless. "

It was all, so, damn, useless.

He hated fighting when the only hate he could muster up was simply a reaction to the 'real' hate the Uchihas or the Inuzukas vibrated whenever they came within eyeshot of him. He had cut his long hair short when he entered sophomore year because he despised being recognized as a Hyuuga and therefore, and "enemy." He disabled his byakugan most of the time unless it was absolutely necessary to activate it. He hated White Nights.

And he hated when somebody crept up to him behind his back, just like now, practically breathing down his neck.

As if he had noticed Ryuha's thought, the 'somebody' spoke in a strangely suppressed calm tone.

"…Hyuuga Ryuhei, if I'm correct? "

"Close enough—it's 'Ryuha'. "

Wondering who it was, Ryuha turned slowly to find a fist crashing violently into his face and the glaring face of a livid crazed Inuzuka in front of him. The fist made direct contact with his face nose first, and he felt his lips split. That would definitely leave a mark.

Strange.

Whoever it was, he was fast. Ryuha should have been able to block it.

"'That' was for corrupting my brother into associating with the likes of you! "

Ah. The Inuzuka selected.

Ryuha straightened up from the blow and spat out blood. Kiba must have crept up on him while he was reflecting over White nights. Through his good eye, he glanced at the maroon headed Inuzuka before him.

The kid looked so much like Amano, it was uncanny.

"…Kiba, right? Amano's brother. "

No wonder he was fast. The Inuzuka selected was known for his prowess and speed.

Ryuha analyzed the situation, and it was pretty grim. It was not that he couldn't shake the kid off—just that…Inuzuka Kiba looked pretty traumatized and enraged an odd combination. And it wasn't only by the fact that Ryuha had made friends of Amano. There had to be something more.

"You look a lot like Amano. "

He said dully. The kid was basically Amano with an attitude.

Pity he wasn't really Amano.

"…shut…up. "

Kiba glared at Ryuha's stoic face. There was nothing more in this world right now that he wanted to do than kill someone—especially a Hyuuga.

"This is all your…damn family's fault. For bringing that naïveté into this town…breaking the fucking balance! "

The fist soared again, and Ryuha managed to jump away within an inch of the blow.

"Our fault? "

* * *

**White Nights: Summer Solstice**

**Chapter 3- Summer Solstice**

**(Session#6– Coalesce/Conflict)**

* * *

**(Neutral sector)**

"…"

Shikamaru blanked out. No anger bubbling up, just blank. It was easier to deal with problems when emotions did not crowd out his rational side. He learned this fact after years of dealing with dead ends of a dilemma.

Bearing down at the glass of water on the table, he murmured casually:

"So. Ever had any thoughts of switching sides, Sasuke? "

"That's not funny, Nara. "

Sasuke scowled as he flexed his right arm, checking for yet another cut or bruise.

"I wasn't joking. I was thinking maybe two possibilities—and both ends with you never crossing Itachi's path ever again. "

Sasuke rolled his eyes at Shikamaru who eyed him back levelly, not a trace of humor on his face. He grimaced than looked away, muttering:

"…I can handle Itachi. "

A wry look.

Shikamaru did not bother answering, and he motioned for Kankuro to come up. The rusty headed boy ambled up. He raised both him arm in a half hearted gesture then inquired:

"Hey. So what now? "

Shikamaru whipped out a pen from his pocket with his shadow and marked a clipboard on the table with an 'X.' With his free hands, he tapped the surface of the paper.

"Sorry about the sudden change, but take over Temari's night patrol as well? I'll mark you down for the whole day. "

"Huh, the Hyuuga sector? I don't mind. "

Kankuro shrugged as he tapped the surface glass of his wrist watch.

"At least now I won't have to keep an eye on the watch for the switching time…since the darned sun doesn't set here. "

Temari noted this exchange expressionlessly.

"You're giving Kankuro my spot? Does that mean I'm to p…"

"No. "

Shikamaru stated, his palm spread to indicate finality.

"I'll take over the Uchiha sector, for now. I expect it's chaos over there. "

Temari frowned. She placed a hand on his arm.

"You shouldn't have to deal with that alone. I could help. "

"And I could use your help, but…"

Shikamaru paused, and then turned to the other side of the room where Hinata sat erect on the couch, observing mutely. He leant down and whispered into Temari's ear with noticeable grimace.

"Can you…babysit her? I'll tell Kankuro to make sure no Hyuuga gets within eyesight of her. We don't want to set off the Hyuuga line as well. "

He gestured towards Hinata, who flinched. Sasuke noticed, and smirked.

"Looks like you're scared of him too. "

He whispered to her, and she practically jumped off the couch. He had been standing far away on the other side just a moment ago. Temari frowned, and instructed:

"No flitting inside the building, if you please. "

Sasuke nodded then leaned back down, murmuring:

"What, I'd think you'd be worshipping him by now…"

Hinata stared back at Sasuke with agitated eyes. He seemed to be in a playful mood, which was usually a welcoming change with most 'not humorous' people…except that when Sasuke got playful, he got nasty.

"… 'saving' you that time at the forest from the likes of me. "

Forest? What time?

Then she remembered.

Right…That day when Nara-senpai took her out to explain her things. Then Sasuke showed up and then…

"…you saved me more times than he did…"

She whispered, hoping he didn't catch on to that, but he did. And his expression darkened considerably. He knelt down on the floor and sat with a disgusted air. Toying with a fresh scar on his hand, he asked in a hard voice:

"…well. So. Since you are still alive, what do you think? About this whole fight? "

He gestured impassively, as if he was waving away the notion of White Nights. Hinata wordlessly watched Nara-senpai, Temari and Kankuro talk amongst themselves and concentrated on breathing through her mouth. She could smell the metallic tang of blood from his skin.

He watched, a little amused despite himself, at her sudden blanched skin.

"…don't you feel like leaving immediately? I could help you out. I would, only if you give me the word. "

Hinata gawked at Sasuke at this, stammering out the words in haste.

"…s…smuggle me out? I thought you were already in…big… trouble…"

She forgot for a moment that she was afraid of the Uchiha selected, not when he looked cocky and devil may care like all the rest of the high school boys in the world. Except for the fact that he was covered in blood and all, of course.

"One more stunt isn't going to kill me. Or I'm going to be killed anyways for the shit I pulled so far. I'm already up to my neck in it. "

"…no."

"What? "

"No, …I don't want...to leave…"

He looked away with an air of disgust.

"I heard you the first time, and you're still an idiot for it. "

He was definitely in a bad mood again, but Hinata could stand it now, for some reason. It reminded her of the times Neji had gotten mad when practice got cancelled due to teammates cutting school. Maybe not as much swearing or bashing trees like Sasuke did, but it was…pretty close.

Amazed at herself for not cowering under his presence, Hinata worked up the courage to try what she had meant to do an ours before—again.

"…what the hell is this? "

Sasuke eyed the lilac piece of fabric as if it was something repulsive.

Hinata answered:

"…it's my handkerchief…I had it since fourth grad…"

"Jesus Christ, I know what it is! "

He muttered furiously, shaking his head as if he could not believe her. He looked away and made out as if he could not see her extended hand. She did not give up though.

"…now…would you take it? You don't seem to…hate me as much anymore. "

She spoke softly, steadying her outreached hand with the handkerchief. He studied her, then snatched the small piece of fabric, snapping in a voice like he hated her:

"I never said I hated you. "

"…it was kind of obvious…"

Her voice was practically inaudible by now, but Sasuke could hear every word anyways due to his cranked up senses. He swore under his breath and irritably grunted:

"You just don't know how to read people's emotions. "

"…you said I was an idiot, and a burden and a…"

"Fuck. Don't repeat my words to me. "

Sasuke cut her off snappishly. He then raised the fabric to swipe at his rusty stained arm, but hesitated, noticing the tiny uneven named stitched on to the surface of the cloth that spelled out "Hyuuga H." He almost angrily turned it over to find "Grade 4 Class B" stitched on the other side. Exasperated, he muttered:

"You know you won't be able to use it anymore after I'm though with this? "

Hinata nodded numbly.

She didn't really think she'd be able to use it even if she got the red stains out—not when it could Yurie or Ryuha or Neji's blood on there. Besides, those stitches were done by her mom when their parents "had been" together, back in those days.

She didn't want it anymore.

Sasuke shrugged in a 'you asked for it' manner, and started rubbing the blood out, scrubbing away the parts where it had dried. His neck bent over as his shoulders pulled back as he examined the result of the initial dab. His eyes held not enmity for a moment—only concentration on getting himself clean—and Hinata thought again how good looking he could be… if only he wasn't predicting her doom all the time with that angry face.

She thought she had been discreet, but blanched yet again when he grunted with his eyes still on his bloody torso:

"Don't stare at me. Mind your own business. "

A red blush creeping over her face, she looked away.

* * *

**(Uchiha sector)**

"Damn…."

The Haruno moaned.

"I don't remember shit. Not after I saw Sasuke's face, and then bam! Nothing. ":

"You mean his fist. Or the soles of his feet? "

"Shit, what was up with that guy…? "

Sakura gnashed her teeth and inwardly cursed their memories. Why didn't that lot get amnesia or something? Kiba was right. Sasuke was going to be grilled out by the elder and Itachi lot…pretty soon by the looks of it. Itachi was keeping quiet, but she knew as soon as White nights was over and the official interrogations began, this will come up first.

"Shit, shit, shit…"

How could she have been so stupid?

"…well this is just perfect. A third of our youngest line down, and one selected missing—who happens to be the head of our line? Just fabulous. "

An Ino approached Sakura with a spiteful air having just arrived from a fight with Hyuuga Yurie, her bleeding nose pinched. She scanned the full room, and let out an irked sigh.

"Oh, and it seems my turn is at the very end of the line…great. "

Sakura stood up from her patient and impatiently motioned.

"What do you want, forehead? I'm busy, you know. Look at this mess—that Hyuuga bitch cracked my 'nose'! "

"If you have eyes, pig, you'd probably notice how many patients I have right now? Also, let me spell this out for you—I don't care. "

Ino sniffed indifferently and began to actively scourge the lines of patients for her brother, Yamanaka Elo. But even before she got to the first blonde headed boy he could find, Sakura edgily grabbed at her arm and pulled her close.

"He..hey! What is up with you? "

"I want to ask you something! "

Ino rolled her eyes and held an index finger horizontally against her bleeding nose.

"Then go ahead! Nothing's stopping you. "

Sakura held her breath. Her own cousin lay beneath, groaning from a torn ligament, but she ignored his whining.

"…is Kiba… back? "

Ino looked genuinely surprised for a moment, and then a mischievous twinkle entered her icy blue eyes.

"No…but why should you ask for Inuzuka, may I ask? I thought you were all about Sasuke. "

"Kiba's gone to look for Sasuke, that's why! "

Sakura muttered furiously. Ino raised an eyebrow, and then nodded, disappointed at the obvious development of what could have been an 'interesting' situation.

"Well fyi, forehead—he's not back. And from what I've sensed so far, he's not anywhere around here. He must be up at the neutral sector…"

She paused, then cocked her head, weighing the possibilities.

"…or the Hyuuga. "

* * *

**(Neutral sector)**

"We're off. Have fun. "

Shikamaru lazily addressed Temari as he walked out with Kankuro in tow. Temari waved at them both, but slammed the door with a gust of her wind when Sasuke tried to walk out as well. He jerked out his fingers from the crack just in time.

"And where do you think you're going Sasuke?"

Sasuke turned his head and sighed.

"I need fresh air. "

"You're not going back to the Uchiha sector, aren't' you? Because there's plenty of 'fresh' air here too. "

Temari replied coolly, the wind still holding the door steadfast. The Uchiha selected exhaled noisily in frustration as he stated:

"I'm not stupid. And that Hyuuga girl over there is who you want to babysit, not me, in case you have forgotten. "

With that, he strutted out of the door, flitting into the bushes.

'…he better stay put. Even his own line is out to get him now. '

Thinking this wryly, Temari glanced at Hinata again. The girl was holding up better than she looked. Far from being overwhelmed, she merely looked weary and guilty as if she was to be blamed for the entire fiasco.

"How are you back there? "

Hinata's head snapped up at the acknowledgement, and she managed to produce a weak smile. She wringed her hand once and held up her head.

"I'm…"

She thought of saying 'fine,' but then again, she wasn't. So instead, she gave a small shrug, her eyes cat down with an uneasy smile.

"…not really fine. But I'm okay with that…I get nervous easy. "

Hinata placed her hands on her lap queasily.

"…did you know it was going to be this…well, violent? "

"…I thought it would be something like…I don't know, like a basketball game between two rival teams…without a ball? "

Temari cringed.

"They really didn't tell you much, didn't they? "

"Well… they did tell me, about the cliques and the fight and..."

"Cliques…huh. In other words, they told you nothing. "

Temari sat down next to Hinata, she eyes sweeping over the now empty room.

"…they should have told you about this…all. There no reason to keep other things secret when the biggest of all secrets is out. "

Hinata simply stared. Before, she thought Temari was severe and businesslike; not really a cold fish but not exactly someone to welcome you with open arms either. She clearly adhered to the set rules, so Hinata expected her to keep the secrets quiet. But she seemed open enough.

And nice.

"Neji…doesn't like me knowing things. "

Hinata ventured, recalling the moments where her cousin brother often cut himself off mid-sentence, thinking over whether to tell her something or not. Temari smiled at this—the smile warmed her initially cool expression—and leaned back into the couch.

"That is an understatement. I'd have mistaken him for your overprotective daddy if he was 20 years older than he is right now. He's very protective of you, obviously. "

Hinata started giggling, but sobered up immediately at Temari's next words:

"…as is Sasuke. Did you notice? "

"…"

She sat in embarrassed silence, her lavender eyes cast down. She hoped the Uchiha selected was far away, for she could imagine his furious reaction at these words. But Temari seemed to not care.

"Well of course you noticed—it's hard not to, even though Sasuke himself denies it. But as always, a too strong no means a yes.

"…but he has no reason to do so…"

Hinata whispered, her eyes clouding with confusion. Temari sighed.

"You think? "

"It's because I'm a naïveté. "

Hinata gave the words everyone else was saying, but Temari shook her head grimly.

"Everyone's theory, but a little more than that, probably. If you haven't noticed, Sasuke can be a vitally cruel person… Do you remember that time up there in the school building where the Inuzuka pack threatened you? "

Of course she remembered, Hinata thought with an agonized shiver. She still had nightmares about those yellow eyes, and the gang of Inuzukas with their overly active nature, their violence…

That voice, ringing with malice.

No. She could not forget.

Temari noticed the white sheen of sweat on Hinata's face, and nodded silently.

"Well Shikamaru and we had a fine time trying to sort that one out. Sasuke seemed to have given out a death parole without consulting anyone else—thank god Neji had the head to decline, or else that would have been a complete nightmare to cover up. "

Hinata blinked. Death parole?

Then she remembered. To Kazu. Right.

"But think of how many times he saved you. How many times he cared enough to drag himself to do things that he normally would not do, ever, because it doesn't concern him. "

Hinata inwardly thought that the description fitted Nara senpai as well, the whole being indifferent part. Temari interpreted her silence as a denial on Hinata's part, and spoke gently:

"It can't be blamed though, Sasuke's way of thinking. Being standoffish and hostile. "

She spoke nonchalantly as if she was informing Hinata about the price of a drink at a café. Hinata questioningly stared.

"…he wasn't like that from the start, I think you should know. "

"…Sasuke? "

"Or Neji. Or Shikamaru for that matter. I've seen the way you look at him, and I know he can be…intimidating, in his own way. But he wasn't like that from the start, you know. None of us were. "

Temari's soft brown eyes met Hinata's lavender ones, a little regretfully.

"They really didn't tell you anything about Konoha. Not the important parts. "

Hinata straightened up from her seat, her shoulders leaning forward.

"…tell me. "

"Hmm? "

"…please. Tell me. I want to… know. "

* * *

**(Hyuuga sector)**

"I think you should think it over before you accuse our entire family of being the 'core' of the problems…"

Ryuha spoke in paused intervals as he ducked from Kiba's reckless blows that seemed to be bringing the forest down. It took him almost ten minutes to finish that sentence, for the Inuzuka selected did not slow down to give him the space and time he needed. One of his blows nearly caught Ryuha on the side, causing him to jump away before continuing.

"…because frankly, we're not the ones brewing up trouble at school by trying to kill somebody without checking if she's a naïveté or not. "

Kiba halted from his mad spree and gave Ryuha a sardonic grin.

"We're not the ones who brought a damn naïveté into town in the first place, driving the head of the opposite line into 'shit' he wouldn't have pulled if that damned girl never arrived here! "

Another low blow—this time, a kick. Ryuha threw a branch and blocked it.

"If your main selected is stupid enough to fall for the opposite line's naïveté, why is that our problem? "

Kiba grabbed a rock from the ground and chucked it at Ryuha before answering:

"Because there are certain rules stating that naïvetés aren't allowed in the dome, ever. You see, Ryuhei or Ruyha or whatever you are…"

He crossed his arms and started smiling viciously, his yellow eyes hard and cynical.

"There's a reason we call people naïvetés. It's because they don't know anything. It's because we don't 'tell' them anything. It's for their own fucking good, because if a naïveté knew something…he or she would not be a naïveté anymore. "

Kiba stepped closer in, the lemon glow from his eyes subsiding. The dark brown replaced the yellow, giving him a slightly more serious and sane look than before.

"And let me emphasize once more, the rules of the elder's council. We don't protect naïvetés just because they're weak and basically useless. We protect them because they don't know anything about…'this,' thus making it impossible for them to meddle and make things more complicated. But when a naïveté starts to know a little too much, and begins to meddle…even if the angelic little wuss didn't 'mean' to… it's going to create problems, and you know that. "

Ryuha disabled his byakugan and eyed the Inuzuka selected, mystified.

"…where are you going with this? "

Kiba smiled the smile he learned from Sasuke.

"I'm just saying. I don't think there's a reason to 'protect' Hyuuga Hinata anymore. "

"…what? What has Hinata got to do with th…"

"You'll see, bastard. "

* * *

**(neutral sector)**

"The first thing you should know, is that the three people that helped you get most acquainted with Konoha itself, didn't resemble themselves one bit just a few years ago. "

Temari held up three fingers, and Hinata guessed she meant Neji, Nara-senpai and Sasuke.

"And I'm not talking about their physical change, although that had some big modifications too. To put it in a nutshell, all three of them were treated like shit by their families—I don't care which way, they just were. "

Hinata flinched. She pleaded with her eyes, refusing to believe.

Neji was treated cruelly? By his own family?

"…Your family is fine, Hinata, so you don't have to wilt like that. "

Temari spoke with an amused smile, and Hinata shuffled in her seat, embarrassed to have been caught at her own thoughts again.

"But to tell you the truth, Neji shouldn't have been forced to become the selected. Not after the Hizaki incident. "

"…Hizaki…?"

Hinata inquired. Temari replied bluntly.

"He was Neji's godfather. And Sasuke killed him. "

Hinata clamped her mouth shut at that, her brain shutting down. It was one thing to assume Sasuke had hurt people before—after all, he had put it out quite frankly. But it was another thing altogether to have someone confirm the fact that he had murdered someone before.

Especially after he had so graciously saved her countless numbers of times.

"But Neji doesn't know, even now. No one dares to tell him because that incident almost broke him to pieces—seeing his father figure die in front of his eyes at his first battle. "

Hinata blinked, thinking of the Neji she knew.

All she could think up was an image of him handing her a cherry coke and making fun of her bad sense of direction. No trace of a traumatized past there on his kind face.

"And Sasuke. "

Temari continued.

"Was shackled by his own family like a prisoner because he could not control himself. He has these fits, and that's why he killed Hizaki—by accident. Any rational person would think it'd be best for him to stay away from battle and try to control whatever ails him, but no. The elders thought it would be a fine thing to train his inner madness and turn the consequences of that insanity onto the Hyuuga line. "

Insanity? Madness?

Hinata outwardly stared this time. Sasuke seemed to be in perfect control of himself, save for the times he got angry, but that was natural, wasn't it? For a person to get angry once in a while?

"He used to be a quiet sort of kid—a little like you, actually. But the Uchiha family managed to mold him into basically what he is now: a cruel cold hearted bastard. "

Hinata gaped at Temari, but she waved it away.

"Don't get me wrong—I don't hate Sasuke. It's just that he's a …complicated kid. "

Hinata thought she understood. The Uchiha selected was complicated alright.

One minute he's kidding with her, then he's yelling, his eyes glowing red in that eerie way.

He was definitely complicated.

"…and Shikamaru. "

Temari's face fell.

"He used to have quite an attitude back in those days. Was tortured by the Uchiha's very own bitch—Nahoko. She's graduated already, so you wouldn't know her. She sexually abused him as well as tortured him, and still would do so, but he's the watcher now and…"

Hinata listened, and felt her mouth slowly dropping open.

So 'this' was Nara senpai. Whatever thing that scared her—no wonder.

"…well. Obviously he's too strong for her to 'play' around with anymore. And also because… there really isn't anything to tie him down anymore, not like… back then, when Shizuka was still alive. "

"Who's…Shizuka? "

"…Shika's bigger sister. She was the second to last watcher. She committed suicide. "

Hinata blinked again, and Temari cringed.

"…it's complicated. Konoha is. "

"Yes…I agree…"

"…I agree too. "

The male voice rang out from the side of the room, and the two almost jumped at those words.

The sound had come specifically from right outiside the window, slightly muffled by the glass pane. Temari whipped the side window open with her wind, and a male figure slid into the room with ease. He walked up to the girls on the couch, approaching them slowly until he was two feet away from their shocked faces.

"Would someone please…tell me. "

The intruder spoke in halted syllables, as if he had trouble talking.

"….what is the meaning of this. "

Hyuuga Neji eyed the two girls with his byakugan, a vein pulsing on his forehead. He took some time staring at Hinata who stared back mutely, frozen by his obvious fury. Then he moved on to Temari who returned his hard look with one of her own.

"Temari? I'm kind of waiting. "

Temari closed her eyes—fuck. This had got to be the worst White nights ever after the one a few years back when Gaara got mauled.

"Neji…damn. I can't even explain, since there is no explanation. This was a mistake. "

"Mistake on whose part? Because it certainly wasn't ours. "

He glared at her through his byakugan, his neck scarlet with rage. Hinata briskly stood up.

"Neji—it…it isn't her fault! "

"I 'know' it isn't her fault, god damn it! I don't know whose fault is it yet, but I have a pretty good idea. "

Hinata flinched at his wrath, but mustered up her courage again.

"And it wasn't Sasuke either, if that was who you were thinking! "

That blocked Neji's sense. He deactivated the byakugan as he threw Hinata a disbelieving injured look.

"…why are you defending him? "

"I…It's just the truth…"

"Hinata, don't mistake…what he is. Don't you dare think he's an ally!"

He jabbed his finger towards Temari, shouting:

"I heard… you know? I heard what he fucking did! "

With the last words, he turned and addressed Temari, his eyes slowly attaining the milky sheen again.

"…so that was the truth, huh. No wonder no one ever told me…specifically…who killed Hizaki. "

The veins formed along his eyes.

"Oh shit, Neji I…"

"…of course they didn't!

"Neji, Sasuke wasn't conscious of what he did—you can't blame him for something he was not aware of doing! "

Neji stepped back and raised a hand, shutting her up. His activated byakugan eyed her with dull impassive eyes.

"Taking sides, Temari? Shikamaru will not be happy. "

She threw him a withering look.

"Let me at least clear you up on what happened today here with Hinata. "

She gestured towards Hinata, who tried to speak again but Neji had already turned and was proceeding to walk out.

"Where do you think you're going?

Hinata vaguely had a déjà vu—Temari had said those exact words to Sasuke about half an hour ago.

"God, Neji, what are you going to do? "

Temari asked him but did not bother to try and stop the Hyuuga selected. It was obvious she would not succeed. Hinata thought of running up to Neji and asking him nicely…or, or just something! He was her sweet cousin brother for god's sake!—but stopped when she saw the pain in his hollow eyes.

"I'm going to do what I should have done 7 years ago. "

* * *

**(bloodiedsugs words on WNSS-**

Woooooohh. Did you think that was a long chapter?

Then get ready for chapter 8. It's like, 6000 plus words. And you'll get everything you need to know about Shikamaru.


	23. Breaking Point

"_**The White Nights describes the few weeks around the summer solstice during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. The sun does not set until late at night, and twilight lasts much longer."**_

* * *

_**(Two days ago)**_

"Shikamaru. "

Nara Shikaku emerged from the other side of the door, his face grave. He addressed his son, the current watcher, with a slight nod of his head.

"Dad, I…"

"Well. It's time…what is this, your sixth battle? "

Shikamaru dully stared back at his father for a moment, then nodded, setting down the pen he had been amusing himself with by repeatedly flicking it with his shadow.

"Good luck. Report back to me after Gaara shuts the dome down. "

"…"

As a response, Shikamaru stretched his long form out on the couch idly, refusing to acknowledge the imminent battle.

Sasuke normally brooded before battle and Kiba usually exercised. Temari liked to finish attending to her paperwork with Kankuro and check on Gaara's condition. Sakura and Ino sort of bonded—the only time they bonded—by grooming themselves in preparation for the long days ahead without a proper bath. Sai drew and Shino practiced kendo in the empty school hall. Neji always had chats with Ryuha or Yurie and he knew for a fact that Naruto attempted to meditate an hour before setting off for No man's land—attempted, because he always fell asleep.

As for Shikamaru—this is what he did. He refused to notice or talk about the damned annual event, cursing the fact that it was even dubbed an annual event, as if White Nights was like Christmas or Thanksgiving with the added bonus of getting to bash in whoever you wanted to hurt.

Seeing this stubborn trait in his son, Shikaku gave up trying to rally up a pep talk and started walking out of the room. But Shikamaru stopped him this time by questioning aloud:

"Don't you think it's a little cruel to have Gaara still take part in the battle after what had happened...? "

Shikaku froze, his hands on the handle of the door.

"Why do you ask? I thought we've been through this already… unless you'd want Misaki to rise from her grave and take over the job again. "

Shikamaru hid a dry smile; Subaku Misaki, the former dome keeper died a few years back. The job had been entrusted to Gaara, the protégée, since dome makers were different from selecteds—you could not replace a dome maker, because it ran in a family. A select few had those traits even in the Subaku line.

But no one had expected that incident to happen—the one that had inevitably turned Gaara into a cripple.

"We could hold White Nights without the dome for once.

He suggested.

"You know that's impossible. The naïvetés wou…"

Shikamaru turned his head back and eyed his father, interrupting:

"Sorry dad. Let me rephrase that—why don't we just cancel White Nights? "

Silence.

"I'm sorry Shikamaru. "

The door opened and Shikaku left the room.

'…was worth a try.'

Shikamaru thought wryly as he lifted the abandoned pen again and flipped it against the wall. This time, it flew and struck the wall hard, breaking off some plaster as it remained stuck. He frowned.

'…would be nice, if you were here right now, ne-san. '

He pried the pen out with his shadow then crushed it.

Black ink pooled in midair.

'…or if I was there with you.'

* * *

**White Nights: Summer Solstice**

**Chapter 3- Summer Solstice**

**(Session#7– Breaking Point)**

* * *

**(Hyuuga sector- Southeast)**

"Would somebody please tell me where the hell Neji is? "

Naruto jumped down from the highest tree he could find, giving up searching for the guy by eye. Shino shook his head silently and answered:

"We lost him. Just a minute ago, I swear I'd sensed him in our sector—but then he disappeared. "

"Darn that. "

"Why would you need him anyways, Naruto? "

The blond headed Uzumaki threw his hands up, frustrated.

"Because he's our head selected and instead of covering strategy for us, he'd been missing for the last—oh, I don't know, 3 hours? "

"I thought he'd been wiping Haruno with Ryuha. "

Sai joined the conversation, picking out a splinter from his arm. He brushed the pinprick of blood and healed the small wound. Shino noted that fact and replied:

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen Ryuha for a while either. Yurie had been with them for the mercy time, but then they split up. "

"So there's nothing else we can do until they look at their watch and decide to come back? "

"Pretty much. "

Naruto huffily crouched on a boulder and leaned against the stony surface, closing his eyes. He was silent for a full minute, and then opened his eyes with a disappointed scowl.

"Well, I sense nothing. Which is weird, cuz I think there should at least be a few fights going on in our vicinity—or are the Uchiha line too wussy to barge into our sector? "

Sai and Shino glanced at each other doubtfully. That was unlikely.

"You're right. It is weird. "

Shino confirmed Naruto's words by combing their close proximity with his senses. Nothing came up. Sai cocked his head and inquired in his customary mild tone:

"How come it's so quiet? "

* * *

**(Uchiha sector- Main building)**

Nara Shikamaru flitted into the Uchiha sector, his eyes narrowed in a grimace. Just a minute before, he had slipped his hands into his jean pockets and did a quick search, realizing that he had left his cell phone back at the neutral sector. Now there was no way he could reach Temari or Kankuro properly… unless he borrowed one.

"Hey, you. "

Spotting a maroon headed Inuzuka seated on a tree stump, he approached while addressing him casually:

"I heard what happened. Do you know where Sasuke is? "

Inuzuka Touru looked up warily and raised an eye at the watcher's arrival. Mutely, he held up an arm that was engulfed in a hastily crafted cast, the few exposed parts of the skin black and blue. He replied ungraciously, eyeing Shikamaru through his black eye.

"You wanna know how he twisted my arm loose then knocked me unconscious? Be my guest. "

He flicked his good hand on his cast in mock-good humor. Shikamaru rubbed a knuckle on his forehead and smiled, replying:

"Touru. I'll listen to you whine after this blows over—which could be in about forty years. Now, can you tell me the answer to my question? "

Touru grinned back wearily then became somber.

"…Nah. We don't know where Sasuke is—at least, that's what I think. If we knew, Itachi would drag the guy back he… Oh shit."

His expression changed. He jumped up from the stump and approached the watcher.

" You know where Sasuke is, don't you? "

Shikamaru blankly stared at the Inuzuka. Touru stood up and protested at this.

"Come on, Shikamaru…! You only flit when there's an emergency—other times, you practically stroll down the path while ducking tree branches! You know where he is! "

The watcher fought the urge to shut Touru up with a shadow lock, but fortunately, their conversation was interrupted by a cold composed voice materializing before the two:

"Nara. I believe you're here to discuss our Sasuke's…rendezvous. "

It was Itachi himself, out of the dark at last.

"Itachi. "

Usually, it was the 'younger' line, or in other words, kids who were still attending Konoha high who fought the most battles. Anyone who graduated, from 20 to about 30 or 40 years of age stayed back in their respective sectors, guiding the young and planning strategy. The oldest or those who have earned their respect became the elders, who retired from White Nights itself and resided outside the dome at times of battle. Itachi, who was in his twenties, still dutifully attended to White Nights coming out of the main building only when absolutely necessary.

"Actually, I'm here to make a proposition. "

Shikamaru replied easily, raising a hand and flicking his index finger at Touru, shooing him away for the moment. Touru complied, but not without giving the watcher a questioning look about the 'proposition' he had come to make. Itachi waited until the Inuzuka went out of sight then stated:

"Say it. But I will be the one to decide whether or not it will be followed through. "

"No. That privilege will be given to the elder council. "

Itachi's eyes widened. Lifting his palm in a "wait a sec" motion, Shikamaru stuck his hand inside his jean pocket, only to recall his misplacing the phone. The former Uchiha selected was waiting, his icy black eyes level with the watcher's very own pair of black eyes.

"Nara, if your proposition is, say, ridiculous, I will not hesitate to run you out of our territory. "

He informed the watcher in a skeptical tone.

"You can't, I'm the watcher. And it's not going to be ridiculous, I promise you. "

Shikamaru rubbed a knuckle on his forehead again.

"But first…can I borrow your phone? "

* * *

**(Neutral sector- Frontier)**

The forest ground bore marks of battle, but no one were present.

Sasuke wearily trudged over the debris and ripped off the right sleeve of his shirt, which already bore a long rip. He could hear Temari's advice ringing in his head, yet there he was, walking on to god knows where. His conscience was begging him to be rational, but his body told a different tale.

Kiba had seemed genuinely wounded at his behavior, he could see that. The Inuzuka selected's face had born no mirth even though he was doing what he loved to do. And when he cued in a Sasuke with his fist flying, he wasn't hesitating anymore, because he knew who the Uchiha selected had chosen over his line.

But then, the fist flied and Sasuke did not… defend himself.

Right there, Kiba's indignant expression as he pulled his fist back, angrier at the fact that his opponent wasn't even putting up a fight... Sasuke's mind just kept replaying that scene over, and his head was ready to explode.

"…damn it…"

Tripping lightly over an overturned slab of rock, he leaned against a tree and lifted his shirt. Examining the exposed skin, he swore when spotted what had been bothering him for the last few hours.

He had been lying when he said all of the blood wasn't his.

"…guess I can't go back just now. "

He thrust the shirt back down disgustedly and slumped against the willow. This was absurd. He was starting to miss Sakura—her healing, that is.

As much as a nuisance Haruno Sakura was, always yapping away about her being his fiancée, there had been an upside of having her around—she was admittedly, a fantastic healer. There were other people besides her that could heal him fast enough, but he couldn't go back to his sector, considering the current circumstances. And obviously, he could not go the Hyuuga sector for help.

So he guessed he'd have to fight in this condition if whoever prying behind that clump of trees decided to show himself. The suspension wasn't exactly jiving with his situation, so Sasuke decided to forgo waiting for the ambush, and triggered the fight first.

"…who's there. "

There was a responding rustle in the treetop as a figure shot out from the leaves. The Uchiha selected groaned inwards at the speed in which the ambusher conducted himself with—this had to be a selected. Perfect timing.

He reached out to block the kick with his arm, realized half a second later that it was practically aimed at his head then briskly knelt down to duck. The kick swung over his head but halted in mid-arc and started to bolt downwards vertically. Sasuke blocked that too and flitted out far back, his eyes still coal black and suspecting the worst.

"…'This'…is for Hizaki. "

The Hyuuga selected stood a couple of meters away, his byakugan on, the tree debris that had been scattered around him shattered into strips. His voice was hard and somewhat, mechanical, as if he had adopted Shikamaru's belief that emotions lessened efficiency. He held out his hand palm-up, and maintained a deadpan expression while taking his stance.

'Hyuuga Neji…'

The first reflex for the Uchiha selected was to swear. But instead, Sasuke screwed up his face and reluctantly activated his sharingan. His mind briefly flicked back to Hinata's tearful face as she upsettingly told him she had nowhere else to go, no one to return to. The scrap of bloodied handkerchief he had been holding fluttered loosely to the ground.

"…ha. "

And he'd said he didn't believe in karma.

* * *

**(Neutral sector- Watcher building)**

"I can't just wait…this is crazy. "

Temari patiently waited for Kankuro to pick up, but he wasn't responding. And Shikamaru's phone was lying on the table next to the salve she had made Sasuke slather earlier on. The timing could not have been worse. She could have gone looking for him, but she could not leave Hinata alone.

Also, as for Sasuke, she'd suspected the Uchiha selected was more injured then he made out to be, but he wouldn't take charity from someone on the watcher team. He couldn't—another stupid unreasonable rule of White Nights.

She rubbed a knuckle on her forehead, quite reminiscent of Shikamaru's own gestures.

"…d…do you think Neji was…serious? "

Hinata ventured, feeling continuously sicker as she thought of an angry Neji meeting up with an equally pissed Sasuke. Temari paused then nodded slightly.

"Hinata. Neji is a nice guy, there's no doubt about that. But he was serious honey. Hizaki was…never mind. Damn it! There's no rule stating a selected can't challenge another selected! "

She briskly walked over to the door and shot it open, trying to sense Sasuke's whereabouts. She spoke to herself as she tried to focus:

"There are no rules stating so, but the circumstances…this is my fault."

Hinata blinked wildly at the older girl's words.

"If I hadn't said anything…"

"N…no it isn't! You wouldn't have told me those things…if…if I hadn't asked for it. "

Temari paused—a little surprised at this defense on her part.

"…you had a right to know. You're a Hyuuga after all. "

Hinata was filled with momentary gratitude. She had been feeling like she wasn't a part of the Hyuuga family anymore, as if she branched from an entirely different species called naïveté.

"Thank you…for telling me. "

They were standing in a much more comfortable silence now even though Temari's attempts to pinpoint Sasuke's whereabouts were futile because she could not reach Shikamaru.

Suddenly though, as if it had sensed its owner's thoughts, the cell phone started buzzing. Temari instantly brought it to the side of her face, though she frowned dubiously at the name that flashed on the screen.

"Why would he call me?…yes—Itachi sa…Shikamaru..? "

Hinata could hear Nara senpai's voice ringing out from the contraption. Everything else was silent.

"Temari, it's the elder council. They connected everyone from outside the dome, and inside—well, I made them do it. "

"The elder council… all of them? Are you serious? "

Temari shook her head in disbelief. There had to be at least twenty plus elders who directly attended to the White Nights process and most of them considered themselves too important to be reached personally. They all had some younger blood act as an intermediary, and those go-betweens mostly had the job of 'refusing' to disturb their direct elders. And here was Shikamaru claiming he's gathered the lot through phone.

"Yeah. I literally phoned the damned lot—the important ones anyways. I borrowed Itachi's phone. "

Temari eyed the ownerless cell phone on the table and suppressed a smile. She knew how he must have hated phoning and convincing those stuck up old stiffs. Considering his idle blasé nature, this had to be a miraculous feat.

"And what's the verdict? " –she asked.

Shikamaru's voice rang a little more confidently, a mixture of relief and exuberance.

"Good news—this year's White nights ends today. It's official. I managed to convince the Uchiha lot by telling them about the number disadvantage. And as for the Hyuuga line, there's that problem with Hinat…"

Temari flinched. She met Hinata's alarmed eyes.

"Shikamaru! There's something I need to tell you about that! "

There was a slight pause, and then his voice rang out again cautiously.

"What is it? "

"It's Neji. He knows about Hinata and Hizaki to boot, and he's gone to look for Sasuke! "

A pause.

"Did you sense them? "

It was his businesslike voice again—there was time to panic, curse or rant 'after' this was over. Temari responded quickly, her voice calming to match his:

"Yes—Sasuke at least. The last time I checked, he was in the outskirts of the neutral sector, northeast, at the boundary of all three sectors—though god knows why he went there. And I expect if I sensed him, Neji would have too, faster than I did…Shika, what now? "

Hinata was surprised, but she understood the situation better than she'd given herself credit for. She studied the phone held in Temari's hand and made a wringing gesture with her hand, feeling somehow that they were all missing on a conclusion.

"…with their speed, they could be anywhere now. "

"True, but we ca…"

"Shadow lock them both, Nara-senpai, please…! "

Hinata cried out hastily, her face pale. She recalled how it had stilled Sasuke back then at the forest. If it could freeze the Uchiha selected, surely Nara senpai could deal with Neji too. It was the only way she could think of stopping them both without having to break both their legs to stop them from killing each other.

There was a short moment silence, and Temari spoke into the phone:

"Well that would work—if you can find them fast enough. "

"No…actually, I have a better idea. "

Hinata noticed Nara senpai's voice had brightened considerably. Temari did not demand an explanation—she placed enough trust in his plans—and instead inquired on another practical issue at hand:

"While you're dealing with Sasuke and Neji, shouldn't Kankuro and I round up the rest and tell them White Nights is over for this year? If we don't send the message, they'll just keep fighting. "

"Don't worry. You won't have to. "

The phone rang dead.

* * *

**(Neutral sector- Frontier)**

It was odd.

Instead of guilt or anger, Sasuke felt a rush of exhilaration at the finally revealed truth. He had been even considering blowing the truth onto the guy, but Inuzuka Amano—Kiba's mild mannered brother—had persuaded him to stop. But now that everything was out in the open, he felt like a weight had dropped off him.

"Are you smiling? "

Neji growled, as he drooped down and swung at the Uchiha selected's side. Sasuke blocked it with his foot and attempted to throw a second blow, but failed. He quickly wiped the ghost of a smile that had appeared on his face—he had not been aware of it.

Throwing himself down to the ground, Neji sprung up at Sasuke, angrier than ever. It was just as well to think the Uchiha selected did not feel an ounce of guilt at having killed his mentor seven years ago. And to think 'he'd' been feeling guilty all his life for injuring the kid back then.

"The nerve of you, standing like you didn't do shit! Making me 'feel' like shit, for hurting you back then! "

Neji shouted, thrashing down the Uchiha selected onto the ground. Before he hit the ground head first, Sasuke reached out and pushed against the earth with his palms, swiftly edging his way out before Neji made contact again. The ground swamped in, a small crater gouged out in the place Sasuke's head had been a second ago.

"No wonder it was such a taboo to mention Hizaki! I thought everyone was keeping me from that ordeal, but it was only to fucking cover up for you? "  
Another kick, another fist.

Sasuke barely dodged the second blow—it went to the willow clump behind him. Neji halted, and continued:

"…and now you dare to approach Hinata? "

He glowered at the Uchiha selected, who eyed him back with dull crimson eyes.

"This time, you're not getting near anyone I care about. "

Neji stated in finality, his fist clenched beside him.

He was standing without a defense stance, but instead of barging at him, Sasuke paused. His head was swirling with chopped up phrases of apologies and guilt, but the words he managed to spit out after two seconds of thinking was this:

"Sure, is that why you tote that naïveté girl around? Just so you can prove that you 'can' protect someone, unlike that time? "

Neji's eyes snapped, his mouth dropping open.

Sasuke was aghast at the words he was uttering, but he could not stop. This is how he had acted all his life—it was hard to stop. He continued with a heavy heart and a phony smirk pasted on his face:

"No wonder you won't let her go from the village. "

Having said the damning words, he groaned inwardly. This was one of the stupidest things he ever done.

"…is…that the only reason you came up with why I won't let Hinata go? "

The veins surrounding the milky sheen broadened and Neji threw himself. His fist caught the side of Sasuke's stomach.

"I'm 'honoring' her wishes…! "

The Uchiha selected dropped to the ground, but dodged the second blow in time. His hand covered his front, where the blood from his wound had started to stain the fabric. Neji stood over him with a scowl, continuing:

"So much you can say for yourself. I'm not the one who's lusting after the enemy's mascot girl, just because his family was too fucked up to care about you and your wishes to remain a nothing. "

Sasuke's head snapped up this time.

He removed his hand from his shirt and leapt up, grabbing the Hyuuga selected by his collar. Neji retaliated by twisting away and lashing at Sasuke's legs, but the Uchiha selected bore down and wrestled him to the ground.

So engrossed they were in the moment, they did not notice the darkness rising from afar.

* * *

**(Hyuuga sector- Southeast)**

"What…the hell is 'that'…? "

Naruto exclaimed as he pointed at the sky. Sai and Shino looked up to where he was gawking, and blinked in disbelief themselves.

"…that's…definitely not a raincloud. "

The dark black sheet rose from all corners of the forest and began to bear down, swerving downwards towards them.

"…what the hel— "

**(Uchiha sector- Main building)**

"What's going on…? Why are there shadows on the ground? "

Sakura threw down the bloody gloves and gaped at the ground. From afar, she saw a huge black wave slowly creeping across the terrain, freezing everything into a standstill, as if there was a cosmic remote control set to the 'stop' button.

"Ino ne-s…! "

Yamanaka Elo halted in mid sprint, his arm locked in a cast, his face stationary. Ino blinked at the sight and exchanged shocked looks with Sakura.

"…what was that? "

"Don't know pig, but it's still coming! "

A Haruno boy attempted to flit to the other side, only to find that the shadows were coming from every direction.

''This' was his plan…?'

Itachi glowered at the sky, slightly outraged as he too froze.

'…he better have the stamina to cover the entire forest. '

* * *

**(Hyuuga sector- East)**

Ryuha lay stationary under Kiba's foot.

The Inuzuka selected bore down on his still form, his wind keying into the windpipes of Ryuha's neck.

"It's funny. How Amano won't associate with his own kin, but with you. "

"…give him a chance, kid. He's a… great guy. "

Narrowing his eyes, Kiba crouched down, his leg still crushing Ryuha.

"You're going to pay for that one. "

He raised his hand, eyes flashing lime for the kill—

But everything went dark.

* * *

**(Uchiha sector-South)**

"…shit. This has got to be Shikamaru's doing. "

Inuzuka Touru murmured as he watched the shadows draw near. Haruno Lee, who had been nursing his cut, critically replied:

"Wait…! Before you draw conclusions, are you sure about that? It could be…an eclipse? Besides, why would Shikama…"

"Well I'm damn sure that this isn't a fucking eclipse—the sun's still up there for god's sake! "

That was true. The sun was still up there, but the shadows were still sweeping everything. Touru laughed haltingly, his face still doubtful but delighted. Lee was less enthusiastic and starting backing away.

"Is…is he crazy? I mean… this forest is huge! …"

"I wonder if he can pull this off—hell yeah! "

Touru shook his maroon head disbelievingly, rooted at his spot even as Lee flitted away. He eyes the looming darkness with a dubious grin.

"…this has got to be the biggest fucking shadow lock I've ever s... "

He froze.

* * *

**(Neutral sector- Watcher building) **

"So that's Shika's plan. "

Temari commented as she watched the shadows draw near. It seemed like an effective plan to Hinata, but strangely, Temari sounded upset.

"…I wonder if he has enough strength to pull this off. This forest isn't exactly small…"

"I…I bet he does. "

"I'll just have to trust him, wouldn't I? "

She smiled wearily, and sat back with her eyes closed, waiting for the shadow to overtake them. Hinata sat quietly at her spot too, preparing herself for the moment when the dark would engulf and render her unmoving.

Suddenly, Temari's eyes flew open.

"…wait…this is weird. Why do I still sense Sasuke and Neji moving…?"

"…huh? "

"I thought they'd be still by now…Shika had better hurry up—they must be tearing at each othe…! "

The shadows overtook them.

* * *

**(Neutral sector- Northwest Electric Plant)**

His head, chest, arms, legs…everything ached.

Shikamaru grimaced as he tried to cover the entire range—almost everything was locked in place, except for one tiny sliver of land. The middle ground. The frontier land where all three boundaries met.

He had managed to stop everything else, but only had the weakest grip on the middle ground. He hoped no one crucial was there—it was all he could do to maintain this shadow lock. Because he could not specify the exact spot where each individual was, he'd taken the liberty of locking the entire forest, including the animals, insects, humans—whatever that moved. Even the trees had stopped rustling. That was, he kept in check whatever extra mishaps that might arise.

But he was also wasting an excess of energy by the second, his stamina quickly dropping from a hundred to zero.

"…trouble…some."

Shikamaru took out the small mike attached to probably the sole electric plant in the entire village. It was stationed at the northwest corner of the neutral sector, and most announcements were made this way. Luckily, not too many speakers had been damaged during the fight, because he had to make this announcement quick before he lost consciousness from lack of energy.

This had to be the most reckless impromptu plan he'd ever gone through. But it was also the fastest.

He took a deep breath, then spoke into the mike.

"The fight's…over. This year's White Nights… is 'cancelled'. "

His voice rang out from every corner of the forest. He hoped Gaara heard it too, but the sand dome was practically soundproof, so he was not sure.

He paused, letting the fact sink into their minds.

"Anyone who dares to fight after this ann…ouncement, will be punished… accordingly. "

Shikamaru took another ragged breath, wondering if there was anything necessary to say before he released the lock. He was close to his limit, almost over it in reality, and thought briskly before decidedly turning off the mike. Good, he was done.

He was about to release the lock, when his phone—Itachi's phone— rang.

His phone rang?

Incredulous, he answered.

"…who… is this? "

"Nara-senpai, don't…'don't' release your lock yet, please! "

"…what? "

Exhausted—he slumped to the ground, but held the phone safely against his ear. He wasn't sure if he was hallucinating, but the voice shrieking desperately into his ears belonged to none other than Hyuuga Hinata.

Hyuuga Hinata who should have been under the shadow lock herself.

"Please…! Before she…f,froze, Temari sensed Neji and Sasuke—and they could move! "

Shit—he thought. So they were at the middle ground. And here he was, with barely enough strength to stand.

But then again, common sense calmed him.

"Well… don't worry, Hi...nata. "

He grimaced as he squeezed out the reassuring words.

"…they probably heard the announcement …and I know they abide the rul…"

"They're still moving though…! I don't think they heard it…! "

Shikamaru frowned. If they were moving…then it probably meant the speakers around them were broken. It was not surprising, seeing the way they tore up the trees.

But how should Hinata know this?

"…what? Is Temari still…moving? Did I… miss that spot? "

"N…no. "

"Then…how? "

He sat and clawed the rocky sand to maintain himself and waited for her answer.

After a hasty pause, Hinata nervously stammered into the phone.

"I…I can… sense them, Nara-senpai…I don't know why, but I… can! "

* * *

**(Neutral sector- Frontier)**

Sasuke and Neji paused, both breathing heavily.

Something was wrong. Other than the fact that they sensed no fighting, it was too quiet. The forest was eerily still, with not even a bird cry to break the silence.

They had been too obsessed, so absorbed with the fight itself that they had forgotten everything else.

"What the hell is going on here. What are those? "

Still eyeing Sasuke in distaste, Neji blinked at the queer sight upon them. The entire forest, save for the small patch of land they were standing on, were drowned in what looked like shadows.

"…I don't know. I don't particularly care either. "

Sasuke muttered. Neji glared at him. It was oddly satisfying to hurl every unmentionable insult, to bring up all taboos they never really mentioned because they were so busy playing the part of the model selected.

"Before we continue, you need to tell me. How did you bring Hinata into the dome? Pretty reckless move, Uchiha. "

Sasuke spat.

"It wasn't me. "

"Was it just to make a point? To get her killed just so you could say 'told you so'? "

Neji crossed his arms and stared pointedly at Sasuke, who grimaced and spoke:

"It wasn't me—if you have eyes, Hyuuga, I'd been saving her ass since day one. More than you've done, I might add. "

Neji ignored the last bit and continued with a wry tone:

"If you were someone normal, 'you' caring for her might work. But it doesn't with you. "

"…and why is that? "

Sasuke's eyes darkened, the redness spreading.

Neji thought it over for a moment. He knew he'd have to touch a raw nerve some time in order for Sasuke to initiate the fight again. It was better on his conscience to know that they've both done each other the ultimate offense.

"Because you're a twisted fuckup. You destroy everything you care about. "

* * *

**(Neutral sector- Northwest Electric Plant)**

"You're saying…if I release my shadows…it would only make their battleground bigger? "

"…I not sure…but I don't think Neji would…would stop. Isn't it better to…keep them in one place, where…we can at monitor them? Because they can't, move to another place…your shadow made a wall. "

Shikamaru thought for a moment—a hard feat since every second felt like a year. He managed to crack an unexpected grin though. The naïveté girl had a good head on her shoulders—whether she was a naïveté…or not.

"…yeah. I think you're… right. Pretty smart…I'll, hold on. Maybe you can phone and tell them about the…"

He dropped his head. The phone was about to slip from his hands, but Hinata's voice rang out again.

"Nara senpai? Why do you sound like that…? Are y…you okay? "

If he wasn't so goddamn out of it, he might have laughed—now they practically sounded like each other, halting in mid syllable and dragging a sentence with pauses. He screwed his eyes shut with an obstinate determination.

"…I'm fine. "

"Well then…I'll, I'll go and try to convince Neji! I think…I think I'm not such a naïveté after all! I can sense him and everything—it's so cool! "

Shikamaru blinked at Hinata's unconcealed exuberance.

"…wait, you'll do… what? "

"I'll go to where Neji and Sasuke are…and convince them not to fight! I mean…this whole problem was because I was a naïveté…and maybe I'm… not! And since I'm not affected by your shadow lock…I, I think I can do it! "

It took a few seconds for the information to process in his addled brain.

Shikamaru's eyes flew open.

"…what? N…no, Hinata girl—…stupid idea…! Don't….do it! "

_-beep beep beep-_

Damn.

"…Hinata—are you… crazy? "

* * *

**(Neutral sector- Frontier)**

Neji jumped back and dodged the blow. He barely missed stepping into the shadows, and shot back into the clearing, a shocked look on his face. The Uchiha selected was close in his steps, rampaging a tree that Neji had been on just moments ago.

He had gone berserk.

The Hyuuga selected turned back and chucked a boulder at the charging Uchiha, and instead of ducking, he shattered it. Shaking his head, Neji sped up a half-torn down tree and cut the base aiming at the Uchiha selected. Sasuke shredded the tree into strips.

"Damn—what's gotten into you?"

"Neji! Neji! "

"…what? "

Neji turned around to find Hinata standing among the shadows, waving frantically for attention. He blanched himself.

"Hinata? What the hell are you doing here? How come you can—"

He dodged Sasuke's fist.

"—move! "

"Neji, please, never mind about that…just, just listen to me! "

Hinata wished her voice was loud enough to inform them both.

"This year's White Nights is over! Nara-senpai announced it, it's official! Please stop fighting—you're breaking the rules! "

Neji went silent—White Nights was…cancelled? He sped away from Sasuke and muttered:

"He's not going to stop though…"

"Neji! "

Hinata yelled again through the shadows, wondering why they weren't stopping. She tried stepping in closer, but a hand shot out and stopped her.

She yelped then turned around.

It was Shikamaru.

"Na…Nara-senpai! "

She burst out in relief.

"…Hinata. "

Hinata paled at the sight of the watcher.

"You look…you look terrible, what happened? "

Shikamaru raised a shaking hand to indicate that he did not wish to discuss it now, and pointed at the two fighting selected.

"Stop…we need to stop them. "

"I don't know…if they can be stopped. Look at them go—it's like… they're possessed… "

"…it looks like only…one of them is possessed. "

Hinata blinked then realized Shikamaru was right. Neji and Sasuke were both fighting, but it was mostly Sasuke recklessly striking and bashing while Neji dodged and swerved.

"But I told them, that it's over…! Why won't they stop? "

"Maybe…Sasuke didn't…hear. Fuck. "

Shikamaru slumped, he head bowing down. Hinata flinched.

"Nara-senpai…? Nara senpai? "

He didn't respond, lying on the floor on fours. He was still breathing though.

"You must be sick…"

Hinata anxiously eyed the fighting selecteds. Neji was docking again, his expression grim. Why wouldn't he tell Sasuke that it was over? Did he still want to fight? Didn't he know fighting on could get him in trouble later on? Hinata might not know much, but she knew how serious everyone was about breaking rules.

She did not want to see her cousin brother punish. Nor she did wish to see Sasuke punished.

"You're right…maybe if you tell Sasuke that it's over, they'll stop! "

Shikamaru still did not respond.

"But he's moving so fast…I don't know if he can hear you over here…Nara senpai? "

Hinata knelt down and timidly placed a hand on Shikamaru's heaving shoulders. She suddenly realized that the watcher was in no shape to reply. Or to tell Sasuke that White Nights was over.

"Senpai… I…"

She started shivering. The patch of land where Neji and Sasuke had been fighting was fully demolished—there wasn't a single tree or rock that had not been torn down, shattered or broken. But if she didn't tell Sasuke –this would not stop.

Hinata slowly stood up and with each trembling step, approached the end of the shadow walls. She kept reminding herself how Sasuke had saved her countless times; he might not take this well, but he'd never…harm her, right?

_Step by step. _

Meanwhile, Shikamaru was clenching the grass and forcing his brain to function.

Something was wrong here, but he was drugged with fatigue. It literally pained him to move. Sasuke wasn't listening—it could only be that because there were no way his developed ears did not hear Hinata's call. Sasuke was choosing to fight?—and was that Hinata walking towards the clearing?

His eyes snapped open.

'…the kid's in a fit…!'

_Step by step—final step. _

Hinata stepped out into the clearing, the only part left in the forest where the sun shown blazingly. She squinted to adjust her eyes to the sudden brightness and began to search for Sasuke.

Instead, she spotted Neji.

"…Hinata? What are you doing inside—get back! "

He bellowed, waving frantically.

"Neji, but—"

"Hinata, MOVE! "

She felt an odd rush of unnatural wind.

She thought she saw a pair of blood red eyes. A lock of raven hair.

"HINATA!"

She saw Neji run towards her in an awkward slow motion. But this image was replaced by the sight of a familiar face bearing down on her with his fist drawn.

So reminiscent of her first meeting with Inuzuka Kazu.

_But this time, her savior had become the assailant. _

"...stupid...girl! "

Before Hinata knew what happened, someone had thrust her away roughly, almost violently, far from the course of Sasuke's imminent wrath. She tumbled to the ground and grazed her hands on the rocky sand, her head jerking from the force.

Something warm splashed against her face, and she reeled at the somewhat familiar sweet metallic odor.

"Shikamaru…! "

She dared opened her eyes, her heart beating madly. The blurred lines of her surroundings slowly turned clear, driving into her eyes the image that was presented before her.

Nara Shikamaru stood with his tall frame slightly crooked, left knee bent, and his neck cocked in an odd angle, as if he had stopped in a mid-nodding. Uchiha Sasuke stood directly in front of him with his eyes slowly regaining the sense, horror spreading on his formerly impassive face. Hinata paused to look around and wondered why everyone was mute, why they were frozen at their spot like they were trapped in a shadow lock.

Then she discovered the stickiness on her face—blood.

It wasn't hers.

"…"

Shikamaru blinked once, his mouth slightly parted as if he was about to question something, as he looked downwards—almost curiously—at the brilliant magenta splotch seeping up the fabric, bubbling over in sheer intensity. His eyes traveled down, following the abundant flow of blood that was gushing out of the wound, and looked up once again, at Sasuke's arm that went through his shoulder with the same curious look.

Reminiscent of what Neji did to Sasuke.

Reminiscent of what Sasuke meant to do to Neji.

"UCHIHA…? "

Neji hollered as if he could not believe what had just happened, and furiously jerked Sasuke backwards, his arms outstretched. The washed out opaqueness hadn't disappeared from his eyes yet, and the Uchiha selected stiffly backtracked and stumbled, still gawking at Shikamaru.

"…Shi…Shit, oh fuck! Shikamaru?"

The red glow vanished from Sasuke's eyes as he completely snapped out of his trance—a few moments too late.

Shikamaru eyed the panicking Uchiha for a solid three seconds before his limply dropped to the ground on his knees without so much as a moan, his expression still dulled as if he was numb to the pain. A loose lock of hair was held in place by sweat on his cheek, his face drenched in perspiration as if he'd been running the entire time.

He seemed almost a little irked, a little angry at something as he—still too calmly—dropped to the ground with a soft groan.

Completely oblivious to the commotion that rose behind him.

As Shikamaru fainted, the rest of his shadow lock was released, and everyone else stampeded to the mid-rising hill of the forest where the incident had taken place. Temari was the quickest, and she sped to his side in a blink of an eye.

"What's going o—…"

She saw him.

"…Sasuke…you…"

Everyone was staring at him. Gaping. Gawking.

As if they were saying: He's really done it this time… physically wounding a watcher. It's almost unheard of.

Amidst the silent chaos, Kankuro dialed a number and gravely spoke into the phone.

"…hey Gaara. Kill the dome, this year's White Nights is officially over. "

He waited a moment, then spoke again.

"…could you take it down a little faster? There's someone we need to…get out of here. "

* * *

**(bloodiedsugs's words on WNSS-**

LONG.

A form of SasuHina on chapter 4—FINALLY…! But before that…

I hope you guys don't mind—the story isn't going to end after chapter 3… after all, the White Nights battle is annual. I do have an ending in mind. Just hope I can reach it safely without… altering my course much. =) (as you all know, the running joke with the Naruto series is "When the hell is Naruto going to be hokage? " and the one with One piece is "When are you gonna find one piece, luffy?" …lol)

Anyways, session 8, is going to be Shika's story. (remember Neji and Sasuke each had their own past stories? But prepare yourself. It's over 9000 words long. Everything with Shizuka and Nahoko will be explained, I swear. (now the references won't confuse you guys =) )

And also…Lex07Gaa, I do care what you think ^^ And I'm happy you ppl enjoy my story (I'm happier when you guys review to tell me about it instead of thinking it in your head…lmao)

I usually update when the reviews go higher than 10. (I try to)

I'm actually already done writing session 8…ha. (really)

Bear with me )


	24. Legacy

**All the mini chapters are in chronological order (except for the first one), so please read top to down~ don't just pick out the random chapters and read; or else you won't understand anything (lol)**

-----

_They called them ghost eyes, them ones with those white eyes. The eyes that can see everything, though and out._

_Byakugan._

_Then there were the others, eyes red like the devil's. Ones that could read movements, all kinds of movements._

_Sharingan._

_600 years ago, a village shaman made a proposition to the two wealthiest pure blood families in town—the one who came out the stronger would be granted 'eternal life'._

_In those days, people believed in spirits. They believed the shaman had the powers to grant them life. And they were arrogant, confidant of their skills._

_So they fought._

_One killed the other, and the rest follows._

_Whether or not the prize is real did not matter at all._

_The feud still goes on to this day._

-----

**White Nights: Summer Solstice**

**Chapter 3- Summer Solstice**

**(Session#8 (extra) – Legacy)**

-----

**(Shikamaru's perspective –Uchiha Nahoko-)**

Her cold clammy hand drew patterns over my bare chest, tracing the wounds and the scars that she put on moments before, days ago, weeks past.

Her thin lips curled into a satisfied smile when her long fingernail managed to draw blood from one of my faded scars. She pushed the nail in deeper, licking off the blood that bubbled up with her tongue. I was still numb.

She observed me, her red eyes glowing strangely in the dark, daring me to break down and whimper.

Daring me to cry out for help. To lose.

Uchiha Nahoko.

If she hadn't been the sadistic oversexed bitch, I might have thought her as beautiful. She had a chiseled face—as did all the Uchiha lot—and exotic eyes, the long tresses of sleek raven hair framing her oval face. She did not need powder; she was already white enough to forgo it. The red of my blood stood out starkly upon her snowy skin, her tongue flicking out and retreating into her smiling lips, curved up in relish.

She was 18, I was 12.

* * *

**(Temari's perspective –First impression-)**

They brought me over to the Nara residence when I was 10, the elders. They wanted to make a match out of me and the oldest Nara boy of our generation, who had been the same age as me at the time.

That was Shikamaru.

I remember ducking out of the guest room because I had been tired of waiting, tired of listening to adults making bargains out of me as if I was some object. Strolling down the spacious wooden halls, enjoying the old fashioned fragrance of juniper, I thought it wouldn't be so bad living here. The entire mansion was done up in oriental style, and it had strangely reminded me of ancient times, as if I'd gone on a time lapse.

I was so engrossed in this mood that I did not notice the door to my side open up.

From there, a wiry boy with raven hair and coal-black eyes sped out, his expression grim. His eyes were almost bleak in its vacuity, dark and challenging. He eyed me with not so much curiosity as hostility.

"Who are you?"

When that did not gouge any response from me:

"What are you doing in our house? "

He had a long slender neck but his body was sinewy. Half his eyes were hidden behind bristly locks of raven hair. Looking at his face overall, I thought he'd be about my age, but the eyes told a different story.

"You look like an Uchiha. "

I had simply said what had sprung to my mind first, and the boy eyed me incredulously. He opened his mouth to say something, the clamped it shut again with a sour expression as if he was reminded something urgent. Instead of replying, he turned away and made out to run, but the door behind him opened again.

A slim girl at about 16, 17. Average height. She wasn't exactly white, but pale. The shadows under her eyes were almost like bruises, and she was huffing as if she'd run a marathon.

"…Shikamaru, really. "

She addressed the boy dolefully, her boney hand crouching beneath the base of her neck. The boy stopped immediately and turned back, his expression a mix of rage and remorse.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have run out on you like that…not when you're…"

"Never mind about that, I'm fine. "

The girl closed her eyes and took a deep breath as if to calm herself. The next time she spoke, her voice was much less ragged.

"…it is my job you know, this watcher business. I don't blame the elders for it, and neither should you. "

"They don't care shit, do they? "

The boy spat out vehemently.

"Look what it's doing to you, ne-san. "

I stepped away slightly, half irritated at being ignored and half wary of the suddenly dramatic atmosphere. I was all for escaping, but there were sudden footsteps and more people entered the scene.

My father, the Nara's head elder and Shikamaru's father—Nara Shikaku.

"Well, it seems like you two already met? "

My father spoke quietly, and for a moment, I did not know who he was referring to. But then I saw the boy shifting his face to meet mine, his dark eyes throwing an inquiring look.

"Temari. Meet Shikamaru. He's your age—10. "

He gestured to the boy, and I cringed lightly at hearing his age. He had seemed older.

My father continued:

"He's to be your fiancée. "

I blinked disbelievingly at my father. Fiancée? Would that mean I was engaged to this boy who didn't even seem to notice me?

I stole a glance at the boy called Shikamaru as discreetly as possible and found that he was staring back silently, his coal black eyes on my face. It was embarrassing to see not even a flicker of emotion on his face—he was a champion at making me feel insignificant, wasn't he?

The silence stretched on awkwardly, and I cursed my father inwardly for creating this situation—being engaged at this age? Who would have thought? And the boy didn't even seem to care.

I opened my mouth to protest, trying to make out as if I didn't care either, but the Nara elder with the Nara crest on his black hakama cut in.

"What are you doing here, Shizuka? I expect you should be at school. You do have duties in case you have forgotten. "

The attention swiveled to the pale sick looking girl, and her cheeks went pink, her head lowered modestly. Shikamaru riled up at this, his eyes snapping with fury.

"She was sick. You can't blame her for taking a rest after what she's been through! "

"Shikama…"

I gaped at this interesting development. It was the first time I'd seen a kid my age act like this in the presence of an elder.

"I 'swear' the Aburame girl wasn't really fighting that Haruno. They were just trying to get ne-san to s…"

"Shikamaru, enough. "

Shikamaru's father placed a warning hand on his son's shoulder, which the boy jerked away with a scowl. Then, he ran away in the opposite direction without a word of good bye, the sound of his pounding footsteps echoing down the wooden hallway.

"Well, how do you like him? He's good looking kid, isn't he? "

My father asked me as we were climbing down the hill that led up to the Nara residence. He spoke in a tone that could not trick a child. He meant it as a casual reference, but I knew what he wanted me to say.

"Hmm. He looks like an Uchiha. "

Father chortled over that bit, murmuring—"Yes, yes… well, he does have that look in him. Those eyes of him, most likely…"

"He looks angry. "

I added, recalling his grim expression, far overreaching the boundaries of his age.

Father shrugged at this, seemingly in good humor.

"…well, I did hear he has a bit of a temper. A serious fellow, huh? But overall a good match. He's pure Nara. "

"Hmm. "

His tone changed here, so now that it was serious and supposedly authoritative.

"The match is 'on' you know, Temari. We're going to have you kids do the initiation process about a month later. "

I made out a face as if I was skeptical.

But stepping ahead of my father with my hair shrouding my expression, I told myself with a tone of simple finality—Subaku Temari, you've got yourself a crush on that boy.

Inside, I had already accepted the fact that I was engaged to him. I could, even at age 10, imagine myself smiling at him, arguing with him, living with him.

I wanted him to look at me with those same eyes, the helplessly angry eyes that said he could not help being angry because he cared too much about you.

Like he did to his older sister.

"You are okay with this? "

My father asked with a casual tone that implied—even if you don't like it, screw it, it's already done. Like the time he informed little Gaara that he was to be the dome keeper when he grew up.

"Hmm. Yes. Whatever, father. "

I shrugged at him with blank impassive eyes.

If I had decided then without seeing Shikamaru's interaction with Shizuka, I'd like to believe that I would still have cared. It was perhaps that expression, the helpless but obstinate dark expression. Something that cried out for help, but didn't want any either.

That was my impression of Nara Shikamaru, age 10.

* * *

**(Shikamaru's perspective –Nara Shizuka -)**

She knew how to get to me from the start, that Nahoko.

It was Shizuka from start to end. My Shizuka ne-san. The weakest watcher to ever grace Konoha's forsaken lands. She was doomed from the word go.

People like to think watchers have it real easy. No fighting, no nothing. All we have to do is just look over little squabbles and order people around. Easy, right?

Easy my ass.

It's one thing if you're strong enough to draw authority, to gain respect despite you being the neutral referee. If you're strong enough to back up your orders, people 'might' listen to you. Like they do me.

But when you're weak, that theory doesn't work shit.

---

"_She collapsed again? In class? "_

"_I think those rowdy Inuzuka kids had been hassling her again."_

"_Whichever the way…this is ridiculous. Who'd stop the fights if the watcher herself keeps dropping down like this? "_

_---_

My sister, Nara Shizuka was born with a weak heart.

Not just a weak heart. A whole lot of other ailments too, topped by asthma, allergies and all that lot.

It was nobody's fault. Things like that happen.

But what happened was that she was forced to become a watcher anyways—because she had "talent" with the shadows, a trait that runs in our family in general, but only is strong in some cases. Therefore, she had to deal with all the problems I deal with nowadays—squabbles and rows.

You think squabbles and rows sound easy to deal with?

Sure, it might be, if we were talking about a class full of kindergarteners. But try placating a rowdy group of Inuzukas or an out of hand Hyuuga. You might lose an arm trying to pacify that lot, and that's without involving the elders issue.

Anyways, Shizuka was forced to become the watcher. She was forced—as I was later on—to take up that nasty business of dealing with Uchiha/Hyuuga clashes and the wrath of the elders when things did not go right. Which was most of the time.

But the biggest problem was this: everyone knew she was weak.

And the strong likes to bully the weak. It's a fact.

It didn't take long for the people on both sides to create arguments and rows, just to see her struggle trying to stop them. And she complied, without complaint.

Days and weeks. Months. Years. The countless numbers of times she dropped unconscious. Gasping always, grasping desperately onto the base of her neck and chest. Thinking back, it was even a miracle she made it that far. She could have died.

But, even if she should die, she never shirked her duty.

That was my sister.

Nara Shizuka.

The Nara Shizuka who would later become infamous, a posthumous fame that she achieved for doing something no other watcher had dared to before.

* * *

**(Temari's perspective –Difficult-)**

It was hard, having a crush on him.

For one thing, he was an incredibly lazy ass by nature, no matter how 'hot blooded' he could get over the things he cared deeply about. When we met at the Konoha elementary school—I was mysteriously switched over to his class after that engagement—he barely recognized me. That was more to the fact that he didn't see me much, because believe it or not, he spent half the class time sleeping blatantly, his head burrowed into the crook of his arms. The other half, he just looked out of the window, staring at the sky until the teacher gave up waiting for his answer at role call and pretty much ignored him.

When the teacher made us sitting partners, I vowed to make him somehow look at me, to notice me. I'd bossily prod him awake whenever his head threatened to roll down into his arm (it was a wonder the skin did not bear a permanent mark the shape of his forehead) and chatter on beside him whether or not he was interested. I could be a pretty domineering kid. I towered over my kid brothers, like the big sister from hell. I tried that on Shikamaru, trying to at least intimidate him if he wasn't going to like me like you like the opposite sex.

And yet, Shikamaru was Shikamaru. He could 'not' be intimidated.

And the world was troublesome to him. It only gave him headaches, and he only bothered to move his ass when things went the wrong way for one person—not me, not even himself, but Shizuka, his bigger sister. She was the only person who could faze him, who could jumpstart the lazy gears inside his body and make him give a shit about the world.

I was naturally, jealous.

"Why do you care so much about Shizuka? Sister complex, much? "

He didn't bother glaring. He wasn't that kind of a guy.

He merely glanced at me once, and then shrugged as he said:

"Lots of people say I'm difficult. Shizuka doesn't. She doesn't think so either. "

"…that's why you like her? "

"Yeah. "

End of conversation.

That was the unnerving thing about Shikamaru. You'd expect him to play with words a little and build an image around him like every other kid from a prominent family in this village did—but no. You'd think being the sole male heir to the Nara residence would get to his head—but no. He was too simplistic for that, too pragmatic. He only gave the simple good-as-earth truth, even if the truth sounded a little ugly at times.

It was true that lots of people considered Shikamaru "difficult." It came from having a too high intellect at a young age, a gift that might have been welcomed with open arms had it not been accompanied by a cynical attitude that mostly angry young adults ranging to cantankerous grandfathers tended to possess.

He was a character indeed.

"Well, I don't think you're difficult. "

I informed him, jerking my chin up as if to challenge whoever called him so. He eyed me up again, and murmured in a very unsatisfactory way:

"…hm. "

"Is that all you have to say? "

He mustered up a little more enthusiasm.

"Thanks. "

Then mute again.

He had friends, but he didn't like mingling with anyone. And when his mood got dark… he was even worse than an alcoholic with a migraine and no booze.

"Fine. Fine… "

I sighed.

"Wallow up in your mood swings Mr. 'Puberty struck a little early at my door.' I swear you got the hormones of my aunt—and she's pregnant, for god's sake. "

I was probably the only person who treated him with jokes, with casual attitude. Most of the kids treated him a bit of cautious deference, as if he was a dangerous mutt with rabies sleeping in their class. Even the teachers got a little nervous around him. It was almost funny.

Almost. But not really.

"I'm going outside to play with my "funner" friends. It's recess you know. Where you go outside. To play. "

With that, I swiveled and started for the door, nonchalantly as if it wasn't killing me that all his responses were so stale.

"Hey. "

It was in such a low tone that I wasn't sure at first if he was addressing me, or if he even spoke at all. But when I turned back, I saw him looking up at me from his seat by the window, his onyx black eyes sweeping over me.

He spoke dully:

"…'funner' isn't a word. "

I exploded, naturally.

"Oh that's it, I've had it with you! I know it isn't a word! Don't you have any sense of…of… creative admission? "

He crinkled his perfect straight nose.

"…creative admission. Is that a phrase you made up just now? "

"Ye…no!!... Yes. "

"You have 'creative admission.' Did you know that? "

I kicked down a chair—Subaku blood to the core—and proceeded to haughtily escape this embarrassing situation, but when I turned to stick out my tongue at him, he wasn't there. Nothing in his seat.

I blinked, and half stifled a yell when I heard his voice coming from right behind my ears:

"…you're funny, you know that? "

"And 'you're' creepy! How could you move that fast? You know how to flit, don't you? Your father taught you, didn't he? But you're only like…like…"

"We're the same age, you know. "

"I know that…! You're 11! "

He looked only the slightest bit smug at my accusations, and the ghost of a smile lingered on his serious face.

"…you're not so bad. I like you. "

'That', made me blush.

I was only a elementary school girl, whose only "experience" of romance was when a certain Uzumaki Naruto from two classes down chased me around the track field with his ramen stained arms flailing, claiming he was going to catch me and eat me. He did that every day, before class. (this was the days before he fell for a certain Haruno girl)

True, a little too childish (considering Naruto, perfectly normal), but 'that' was what normal little kids did to show they had any affection for each other. Or else, they'd be pummeled by incessant choruses of "Cooties~" throughout the rest of the year. No one really said, not even a girl to another girl, that they 'liked' you.

It normally sounded so cheesy, but coming from him, a bit different.

"…um…w…what? You hated me before or something? "

"Nah. I just thought you might be one of them. "

"…who? "

He motioned cheerlessly towards the open window. There were kids outside playing, kids of all ages. I spotted an Ino, hitting the head of Inuzuka Kaoru, who slapped her back. I spotted a Sakura, preening before a mini princess kitty hand mirror, an assortment of slides and hair bands on her lap. I spotted a Shino, playing kickball with Neji. And Naruto eating his lunch pack even before lunch. I blinked.

"…what's wrong with them? Aren't they our friends? "

I asked him, hoping he would smile or say something nice again. But the mood had already changed. His manner changed swiftly, and his temper swung back to black.

"Yeah. They're our friends...up till they enter high school, they might as well be. "

"…are you okay? Did I say something wrong? "

I felt agonized by this.

Damn, a short moment of good cheer—and now this. Shikamaru really needed some attitude adjustment…or a trip to the happy place, at the very least.

"…no…but. "

"But what? "

Recess was almost over, and I wanted this over before class started. No waiting 45 minutes until the next time this boy woke up again from his hibernation.

Shikamaru stuffed both his hands into the pockets of his jeans and strolled back to his seat, sinking down wearily.

"…you weren't lying before, weren't you? "

"Lying? Lying about what? "

He eyed me oddly. A jolt went through my body as if I was being interrogated. He could do that to people.

"That you don't think I'm difficult. "

I paused, blinking.

I thought of making a big deal out of this, protesting that of course he's not difficult, of course you're not. But I thought that would be a load of crap, and probably he would too, if I acted like any stupid girl who looked like she was lying even when she wasn't.

"Of course I think you're difficult! You're the hardest pain in the ass to walk these halls since my dad when he was 11 and weighed like, 80 kg. You should have seen the pictures—mom tells me he snapped like a bruised turtle whenever anyone mentioned his outrageous weight, and he moped around with a cloud above his head for two years until training shaped him out nicely and he turned sexy. You're just like him—only not sexy! "

There. Now to see his reaction.

This could either be a success, or it could just blow up in my face. I scrutinized his face, trying to hide my anxiety.

But half my face probably fell from shock when I saw him smile like a kid, grinning, like the age he was. It was almost unnerving, the way his face lighted up. His black eyes slanted up in a looping line, and his normally firm unyielding lips curved crookedly. A glimpse of white teeth as the smile got wider. I had noticed before that his face was 'nice', but it was before I saw this. It was stunning.

God, that smile was beautiful.

He really should smile like that more.

I don't remember if I told him that last part. But I wish I had, because two weeks later, there wasn't much for him to smile about anymore.

* * *

**(Shikamaru's perspective -Guardian-)**

It should have been a simple fight. Just 'one of those days' where nothing went right.

But the fact was that Shizuka already had a weak body after running full errands for the elders the entire day, and that the Inuzuka was a tad bit too rambunctious.

And it had to be my 12th birthday when it happened. Life was so full of shit, sometimes.

Shizuka had been having hard time breathing, and she was already shivering—I could practically see her fingertips twitch. And that Inuzuka wasn't about to let her go that easy; he wanted fun, like half his over-wired hyperactive kin. He kept attacking her, taking swipes at her.

Normally, a watcher punishes whoever dares to inflict violence on a neutral, including her/himself. But she was already a goner, I could see. Just a few minutes more, and she'd be lying on the floor, chalky pale and not breathing. The last time it happened, it took the doctors a long time to bring her back conscious.

I wasn't about to let it happen a second time.

"…move away!"

When that did not turn heads:

"I said MOVE from her!! "

The Inuzuka was surprised at first, but started laughing away like a pissed asshole when he saw how young I was. He naturally assumed I was a backdrop.

That was before he was the shadow leaping from behind him.

When it choked him, the rest pinning his arms and legs to the gravel ground, he eyed me disbelievingly. Shizuka was already on her knees, fist jammed at her chest again. Even he could see that she was in no state to fight.

Thus, only one conclusion remained—I was the one who stopped him with the shadows.

"Christ…well this is new…what the hell are you, kid? "

This was before I attained the shadow lock. The bastard's mouth was still moving.

"Hey! I thought only a select few Naras could do this creepy shadow thing. How come you can do it better than her? "

He jerked his stubbly chin at Shizuka, who flinched at those words. I knead my knee into his chin for that.

"…ow! What the fuck? …cheeky little bastard! "

"Take it back—she's only tired today! Normally, she'd have beaten the shit out of you! "

I growled at him, maneuvering my hands to tighten the shadow around him. Shifting around and looking amazed that he could not escape, the Inuzuka spat glaring at me. His lips spread cruelly.

"How can I take it back when it's the god damn truth? That bitch is so weak, even a little runt like you can beat her. "

"'That' little runt you're talking about is beating your ass at the moment, haven't you noticed? "

"Why deny it? "

He spoke, ignoring me. He struggled and turned his head to face Shizuka ne san, his yellow eyes glittering with malice as he shouted:

"You're a useless little bitch, you hear me?! What use is a weak as shit watcher, huh? Tell me! The elders must be plotting your murder just to get rid of you, to stop you from further humiliating the Nara name! "

Shizuka didn't say a word, her face a painful blank. Not a movement.

Me, on the other hand, grasped the bastard's neck with both my hands and bashed him against the brick wall behind him, ripping apart a tree branch to somehow aim at his stupid bloated head, hoping the wood would stick into his brain…

"Nara Shikamaru, what is going on?!! "

I had to stop. I had to.

It was our family's head elder, and if I continued further on, it was only the watcher—my sister—who would get into trouble. For being weak and not being able to protect herself so that 'I' had to step up. A kid only 12 years of age.

"…what is the meaning of this…?"

"I'm sorry sir, but that basta…Inuzuka was deliberately hurting ne-san. "

I quickly stepped in, pretending to be "sorry". I continued my sickening act:

"If I see fit, I'll go over to their elder and apologiz…"

"No, none of that—I'm not interested in 'that'…"

He spoke briskly, thrusting a hand aside as if to push the notion away. I frowned, and looked up at him. He eyed me back oddly.

"…how can you use the shadow…? And we thought all along, Shizuka was the only one in this generation who had the capacity, the ability…the 'talent'…and you haven't been even trained! "

I shrugged.

"Well…I sort of played around with the shadow after I discovered I could use it…"

"Look at that tree—you've practically ripped half the trunk off! 'And' you fended off a full fledged Inuzuka!! "

I frowned at this. Maybe that tree I ripped down was like, 500 years old and rare or holy or something.

"Sorry about that tree. Did you have a special liking for it? "

A strangling noise. The elder gave me a strange look that was a mixture of exasperation, excitement and that universal look that men have—the "I can use this to my advantage" look. He waved at me to follow him, and Shizuka might have been left there to choke to death or something had I not rushed over and helped her home.

Anyways, after that, my life literally became a nightmare.

Suddenly, I was the damned star.

"He should have been the watcher—he has the talent, even stronger than Shizuka. "

"Yes. Pity he wasn't the first born. "

Well that gave me an idea. An idea that not many liked.

"Shikamaru, I've told you time and time again… you're too young, and this…job of being a watcher, is a huge b.."

"I don't care if I'm too young, I'm fine with it! If I have the damn talent or some shit, make "me" the watcher! Ne-san doesn't have to go through this! If it's such a big burden, why are you dumping it on her?! "

"Shikamaru, but the rules…"

My father pleaded.

"Screw the rules!! Can't you see she's actually 'dying'—it's killing her!! "

I barked out the words with vehemence, pointing towards the room where Shizuka laid. Father frowned, but spoke with finality:

"It's the rules. It cannot be changed. "

"…then you're a murderer too, father. "

I sped out of the room in a storm, but my developed ears still caught on what they said.

"That boy…needs an attitude adjustment. "

"He means well. "

"I know. And that's the problem, isn't it? If he was just an angry kid without reason, it might have been easier…"

"But he's an angry kid who is smart to boot, who knows what's going around. Who has good intentions. "

"Those are the worst, aren't they? "

Fuck them, fuck them, fuck them.

I grinded my teeth.

If the adults were going to stand by and twiddle their thumbs they could kiss my ass and…—well, that was not going to stop me from trying other solutions. Since they did not let me take up her job for her, I decided to help her on my own.

---

"…_you're the Nara kid. Shizuka's younger brother, ain't ya? What are you doing here? "_

"_You're doing to do 'what'?! "_

"_No kidding…Man, I can't believe it…he's serious about this, isn't this? "_

"_What a noble kid. You're going to keep your words, right? "_

_---_

I went up to every single Inuzuka or Aburame or Uchiha or many others that loved to torment Shizuka, and put my own neck on the line. If they did not touch Shizuka, anything that they do to me was fine—that was how I sold it.

And they loved it.

A willing toy.

Didn't take long for them to see how long I'd last till I broke down. They started taking bets for it, too.

---

"_Take a lighter to him and see what happens. No kid can certainly stand that. "_

"_Boring. Anything else you want to try? "_

"_Hey kid—you 'are' going to keep your end of the bargain, right? Cuz we're keeping ours. "_

_---_

I still thought it would be okay, that I could endure this. I won't lose.

I. Won't. Lose.

I was actually proud. I was protecting Shizuka.

She knew I was doing something, but since she did not know the details, she could not protest. She only watched me with rueful apologetic eyes as those who used to torment her now only walked past her with a glittery smile that only worried her more. The elders were happy because there were fewer conflicts all around. That was how much those people used to distress her.

Then, I met her.

Nahoko.

* * *

**(Temari's perspective –Puppy Love-)**

It was some time over those countless months where I made excuses to visit the Nara residence, that I realized something was wrong. Irrevocably, impossibly wrong.

Lounging upon the silk cushions, I observed Shikamaru over the cup of chrysanthemum tea the maid handed me. He wasn't hostile anymore, merely slightly bored and detached. He got used to being around me. He sometimes even claimed that he liked my company.

As usual, he ignored his tea and instead surveyed the garden through the opened slide doors as if there was no one in this room but him. He might have dozed off if I didn't constantly pester him with questions, which he answered graciously enough.

Today was no difference.

"What's that on your neck? "

"…on my what? "

"On your neck.

He was wearing a plain black shirt with buttons down the front, and beneath the collar, I spotted an odd colored mark on his neck. I pointed it out with my finger.

Strangely, his expression twisted instantly and his right hand sped up to pull at the fabric, covering up his neck.

"Nothing. "

"It looked pretty colorful to be a nothing. "

I initially thought it was something like a hickey, a love bite, that he was maybe fooling around with another girl in secret. I just thought he was mad because I was catching him out.

Hey, I was a young girl. Those little things mattered.

"If it's a nothing, why can't I see it?"

I persisted. Still kneeling, I went over to his side of the table, my mind set on seeing whatever he was trying to hide. Meanwhile, Shikamaru's face turned darker, his movements more defensive. His glowering eyes warned me.

"…Stop it. "

Ignoring his glares, I reached out quickly before he could thrust my hand away, peeling back the collar to confirm my assumption of a hickey.

"…?!"

My eyes rounded, and my breath caught in my throat.

I couldn't breathe.

I couldn't blink.

Simply staring.

From the middle of Shikamaru's neck to the base, creeping down to places that was completely covered by the shirt, there lay a feverishly red twisted mark spotted with purple and darker tones of reds. The colors reminded me of uncooked meat, those shiny scarlet patches among the deeper burgundy, meshed together. Raw. Painful.

This…wasn't a hickey. Anyone could see that.

It was a fresh burn mark.

"I said fucking STOP!!! "

_Slap. _

Pause.

My hand lingering over the collar of his shirt, trembling, a red mark spreading over the surface of my face.

It was the first time he was that furious at me, the first time he shouted. The first time he hit. He seemed shocked at himself too, and for a moment, his eyes washed over in genuine horror. I dropped back, tongue frozen, my mind still numb from seeing that burn on his skin. I didn't even feel that slap.

But interpreting my silence as anger, he apologized immediately:

"…I'm sorry. "

"You… don't have to be. You did tell me no from the start. "

I inched away, feeling chagrined, shaken. I placed my hands on my laps, clammy palms crossed over neatly, eyes looking away.

That burn. That red burnt flesh.

"…hey. I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to… hit you. "

This time, 'he' crossed over to my side, his face crumpling all of a sudden. It was alarming to see his normally impassive shell dissolve away like that, allowing me a glimpse of what he truly was inside—a 12 years old kid who was up against something devastating.

He didn't cry, but he looked mournful and beat up as he reached up and undid the first button of his shirt. He murmured unenthusiastically:

"…I guess… it's no use hiding from you. After all, you are my… fiancée. "

He frowned a little at the last word, as if it left a bad taste in his mouth. I was about to ask—hiding what?—but shut my mouth as I 'saw'.

He was unbuttoning his shirt with resignation, his lips set in a grim obdurate line. One by one, the buttons fell away as it exposed what was beneath.

"..."

Scars.

Plenty of them.

Normally scars didn't faze me. After being an unwilling witness and soon-to-be participant of White Nights, I was used to seeing injuries and wounds. Siblings of my friends at school had loads of them; they boasted of it. Even the teachers of the school I'd heard, had numerous scars on their bodies—remnants of the days when they actively participated in White Nights.

But this was something else.

All those scars were deliberately cruel, almost repulsively brutal. It was a shocking display of malice and cruelty, with the hit-bottom being the gruesome heart carved on his young skin as some form of a garish tattoo, scratched over finely until it drew blood with something like the edge of a scissors or simply well groomed nails.

Anyone could see—the sole objective of the person who did this to Shikamaru was to inflict pain on him, and enjoy inflicting that pain while he himself did…nothing. Nothing to stop it.

I was again, lost for words.

Shikamaru did not say anything. His intense dark eyes—far older beyond his years—surveyed me, scrutinizing my reaction.

"But…doesn't that…hurt? …"

I murmured in horror, my trembling fingers touching the lightest colored bruise I could make out. He flinched.

"…what happened to you? What's wrong…?! "

Who would do this to you?—was the question I wanted to ask most. But I already knew plenty who bore grudges on the Nara family. Most people do not realize, how hard being a neutral is. How hard it was to fight it out on your own without a purpose, without a side to cheer on.

I didn't really want to know that there was someone in this village that was brutal enough to do this.

"What's going on, please tell me…"

I pleaded. He only shook his head and bent over, like he was bowing down.

He eyed up at me, his arms crossed over the scars as if hiding them could make me forget. Tears sprung to my eyes at this, and I involuntarily started to sob, my hands clutching and scratching my knees. It was the first time I ever cried after mother died.

His eyes widened at my tears, and his left hand reached up, cupping my face mutely. He seemed shocked that I'd cry over his misfortune.

"…can't you tell me? Please…won't you… tell? "

I stumbled through the words, droplets of my tears plopping onto my left hand which was clasping the collar of his shirt.

He was only 12 for god's sake. 'We' were only 12. This sort of conversation, no kids should have been having. This sort of situation, no kids should have been experiencing. It simply overwhelmed us. It was under no normal circumstances, the way we interacted. The way we lived.

His next words shocked me though.

"…please don't hate me. "

Warily, he begged me. Pleaded with those dark eyes of his.

And before I could ask him why I should hate him at all, he brought his face close to mine and kissed me, and didn't let go even after the door to the hallway opened. Somebody stepped into the room, and yet we both ignored the presence, stuck in the mess that somebody else 600 years ago had made for us to discover.

That was how his father found us, age 12, bound together in a kiss; me bawling my eyes out and him with his shirt open that exposed the scars on his body, his hand on my face shaking. Together.

He left without a word.

What could he say?

We were engaged, we were young, and we were in love. And we hurt.

With no normal reason that a kid could comprehend.

"…thanks. "

"For what? "

"…nothing. "

"You're… an idiot Shikamaru… "

"Don't… cry. "

"I'm not crying you idio..."

"You know you are. "

They say puppy love is the purest form of love.

I agree.

* * *

**(Shikamaru's perspective –Breathe/Live- )**

"…_he should've been the one. "_

"_Useless…"_

"_She's being a nuisance on the team. "_

"'_He' should have been the watcher…"_

"Stop it…stop it, STOP IT!!! "

Much as I tried, I could not stop them.

Sure, I stopped them from hurting her physically, but even I could not silence the malicious comments that everyone threw at Shizuka. Not when even our own family did so as well.

Sticks and stones can hurt me but words never will?

Bullshit.

Shizuka ne-san wilted at the criticisms. Couldn't anyone see how hard she was trying? How hard she hurt? But then again, the whole 'every man against the other' motto of this village drove the entire population into believing—weakness is a sin. I'm not even kidding. Literally a sin.

I felt as if I had usurped her. If I hadn't revealed to everyone that I had the talent as well, people might not have been that cruel. But if I hadn't, she might have died that day.

Which was worse? Even I did not know.

"…ne san. You awake? "

"…couldn't sleep again, Shika? Come in here. "

She smiled weakly at me against the moonlight and ruffled my already messy hair.

Many nights, I dropped by her bedroom because I liked staying up with her, chatting. But that night in particular…I did not want to talk. I just couldn't sleep, and I had a shadowy throbbing guilt eating away at me. Like I was her tormentor or something. Like I had to compensate for being …me.

"Be careful, or you might grow up to be an insomniac, Shika. "

"I think I already am. "

She giggled.

"Don't be silly. You still have plenty of time to fix any bad habits. You're still young. "

Her hands absentmindedly brushed through my hair, and I let her play around with the spiky locks. Her fingers gathered a bunch of my hair and pushed it far back. Stretching out, she observed the effect.

"You'd look better with these tied up…don't the bangs cover your eyes? "

"Only a bit. I don't mind. "

"Why don't you style it in shorter locks like the boys at school? You know, boys are starting to care about their looks too, at this age. "

"Too troublesome. "

She smiled again. Typical Shikamaru expression, her face read.

"Wait a sec. "

Still smiling faintly, she rose from her bed and reached for the top of her drawer where several loose leather strips and hair bands lay. She picked up a leather strip and a comb and came back to me, brushing my hair back and tying it up. Her hands deftly ran up my scalp as she tied the leather cord, fastening it against my head.

"…ow, isn't that a bit too far up in the head? "

"It keeps the hair off your face, doesn't it? You really should wear your hair like this—you are a pretty good looking kid, why hide your face? "

"Yeah right. "

She looked down at her handiwork and started to smile warmly at my sarcasm… but it froze on her lips. I questioningly looked up at her, wondering why. Then I realized—stupid me; without the hair covering my neck, she could see the scar.

"…what's that? "

"Nothing. "

"Shikamaru, I'm ordering you—tell me this instant: what 'is' that on your neck? "

I leaned back and shielded the scar with my hand, improvising on the spot offhandedly:

"Well, kids nowadays. They get rowdy you know. Ha…"

"…that isn't an ordinary scar. No kid could have done this. Don't give me that. "

Her face went stone hard, and I tried to stand up and walk out of the room.

"Stop. You're not leaving until you explain. "

Grimace.

"…there's really nothing to explain. "

"My god Shika… so it was true? What they'd been telling me? "

Blink.

I could not believe the bastards. They broke the fucking promise. I slowly turned around to find ne-san crouched into a ball, her fists digging into her throat. She was crying without a sound.

Damn. She should not be crying.

It always made her choke.

"…ne-san…it's nothing. I swear. Don't believe any bullshit that others tell y…"

"…They… all say the truth. "

She lifted her head, and I saw tears splashing onto her pale cheeks as she counted off her finger:

"Yes, I 'am' a horrible watcher. Yes, I 'am' weak. Yes, I 'am' practically useless… and yes, you had been letting them…do this to you…just so that they won't bother me…! "

My mouth fell open.

I thought I had been discreet. The whole point of this was to help Shizuka without further hurting her ego, to lesson her shame. Seeing my expression, she quivered in mock-anger.

"…you thought I wouldn't know? Then what kind of a sister would I be? "

A shadow leapt up from behind me, but before I could retaliate with mine, it tore open the front of my shirt, revealing my scars.

She literally choked when she saw it, the dim light accentuating the bumps and meshed skin. I briskly covered it up again with the fabric, but the damage was done. She'd never forget that image in a million years, not even if I drugged her and forced her to forget.

"…I thought I had at least the competent big sister act down…but I guess not…? I'm a terrible sister as well…"

The words died in her throat as a fresh sob escaped her.

"No, that's not true! "

I protested, but she wouldn't listen.

"…I'm so useless… I'm sorry, Shika, I'm so sorry… I should be the one protecting you, but it's all gone wrong, hasn't it? "

Her hands somehow found me and she sobbed, her entire body shaking in hard tremors as she hugged me tighter. I cried right along with her, murmuring into her ear:

"Don't cry…don't! You know you always can't breathe well after you do…please, I'm sorry—don't cry…!"

"…I'm the one that's sorry! Shikamaru, I'm…"

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…"

"…I…c…"

Her breath caught up with her again, and I cursed myself for causing this.

"Your inhaler…your asthma inhaler! Where is it?! "

"……!! "

She hopelessly shook her hands, indicating it wasn't there at its right spot. It must have dropped down somewhere when she was at school or something. I blanched at this, and quickly shouted for help.

"Father!! "

I had meant to open the door to let my voice be heard, but in my haste I tore down the entire frame of the door. Blocking the pieces of wood that fell and holding up the door with my shadow, I hollered again down the quiet empty hallway.

"Father! Mother!! Mrs. Imamura, anyone!!...Please, please come quick! It's Shizuka…! She can't breathe!"

My voice cracked at the last bit.

Yeah. My sister can't breathe. She's suffocating. Can't you all see that?

Why do you all have to make her life harder?

Haven't. You. Done. Enough?

"What's going on…why are you in here, Shikamaru? "

"It's Shizuka…for god's sake, cut the crap and call the doctor!! "

Thanks to my insolence, the family doctor—Dr. Shizune— made it in time. She even had the foresight to bring an extra asthma inhaler. I thanked her with my eyes as she patted Shizuka on the shoulders and told my father she was going to be okay.

"She's going to be okay. "

I blithely leaned against the doorsill, completely forgetting that I had torn it down a few minutes ago. As a result, I looked incredibly stupid as I got splinters on my exposed arms and back. Shizuka smiled at me faintly from the bed as I smiled stupidly on as if nothing was wrong. As if I wasn't already blubbering like the crybaby I could be, if there was enough things in the world I cared about to cry over. I probably had like, two…three things tops that I cared deeply about. And I certainly wasn't going to cry over myself—ha. Seriously, I should take care more of my body like Temari said…but nah.

I don't deserve that.

"…Shika. "

Shizuka beckoned me softly. I went up to her and crouched down next to the bed. The adults filed out of the room, one actually shaking his head and muttering—"what is this, like the 400th time? "

I flipped a birdy at his back. Shizuka sighed and clasped my offensive hand gently, easing it down before anyone saw it. I sighed in return and muttered with a frown.

"…I know you don't like it when I do things like that. But can't you appreciate it…for once, instead of nagging? …you know, all the stupid stunts I pull—it's mostly for you. I always got your back. "

Even if it meant putting my own neck on the line.

Slightly resentfully, I stood up and started to leave. I was beginning to feel the aching and acute burning return. There was only so much the lotions and ointments could do, not when you couldn't visit the doctor without having to explain with a phony smile that you managed to accidentally cut, burn and slash your skin—thirty times in one day.

Nah. I had to put up with this on my own.

And even though I'd brought this onto myself, I couldn't help but feel a little sore that all Shizuka had done was… feel guilty that she wasn't the best of all sisters.

"…Shika? "

But even me in my worst selfish moment could not ignore and walk away when Shizuka called me from her sickbed. I turned and replied a little sourly:

"…what? "

She mouthed the words silently:

"Thanks for …everything. I know you always got my back. "

Shit.

I cried hollowly from the doorway.

"No prob… ne-san. "

She smiled then waved me away, her eyes closing.

I learned from then, to always remember precious moments. Precious smiles.

Because the next day, Shizuka was no more.

* * *

**(Shikamaru's perspective –Legacy-)**

"_It's a disgrace! "_

"_How could she have done this to us…? "_

"_What are we to do now, with the watcher gone? "_

Her death had been of no natural causes.

She hung herself on the beam of the back hall, where the elders would find her first at their morning stroll. A nice big shock, no doubt. That fact might have pleased me a little, but I was too bound over in grief for that kind of petty pleasure.

"…_dear father, and elders under the Nara family crest. "_

That was how it began, her will.

I could almost hear her voice, that quiet soft spoken yet, straightforward way she talked. I could almost see her speaking to the elders, looking them in the eyes despite their demeaning looks.

But the next words were nothing like I had imagined.

"_I quit. I hope you hear me out this time, because in the span of my short lifetime, you did not. _

_I believe I am the only watcher to quit in the 600 or so years that White Nights have been held in Konoha. I hope my drastic actions are implication enough for you to actually put my words into consideration, because I already know you have picked my younger brother to take my place when I die prematurely—which I have. _

_First, do not appoint him as the watcher until you are absolutely confident that he is ready. Please don't let him suffer for the reasons I had been tormented with—do not let anyone hurt him just because they can. _

_Secondly, I have already picked a watcher to take my place, up until the time when my brother is fully ready to take over the job himself. No, I did not consult you, but I assure you, he is a competent man and a well respected resident of Konoha. He will accept the role, as I have already explained the circumstances. _

_Lastly…I do not regret the choices I've made in life. And I believe that's reason enough for you to berate me for being selfish and weak. But as you can see, all the choices I've made, I have made them alone. So there is no reason to blame or punish anyone for my death, because I had made that choice. If you wish to rebuke someone, you are free to rebuke me. _

_That is all I ask of you. You can throw my body into the river and forgo the ceremonies for all that matters, but please. I beg you. Those three wishes, honor them._

_And please tell Shikamaru that I'm sorry. Tell him not to quit. _

_Tell him that I've got his back, so make his life worth its while. _

_Thank you. _

_-Nara Shizuka- "_

There was a disturbing silence in the room. The head elder's face turning bright red, and I expected him to explode and rip the will into little strips. But he only placed it down on the floor and barged out of the room. The rest were eyeing the will as if it was Shizuka's ghost and not a piece of paper. I sat stiffly on one side of the room, reeling from the fact that Shizuka had dedicated at least two thirds of her dying wishes on me. I could not cry, but instead felt an intense choking sensation in my chest—it hurt. It goddamn hurt.

And it was miraculous. They didn't listen to a word she said when she was alive, but now they listened, for her words were coming from the grave. She made the ultimate statement—with her own life.

When they made me the next watcher after the man Shizuka had appointed, people were wary. They knew that I knew. Half the people that I got to command, they had a reason in Shizuka's death, one way or the other. And even the other half knew what a fuckhead I could be.

I was no ordinary watcher.

----

"_Remember me? We happened to bond over that lighter you put on me. "_

"_Shikamaru…we…"_

"_See these black clothes I'm wearing? It means I'm in mourning. Or if that isn't enough to trigger the guilt, do you want to see my scars? There are plenty of those if you want a good look. Some are still raw—in fact, the one you gave me is the reason I have to smuggle gauze into my room 24/7 because I don't want anyone asking me questions when I buy proper bandages that might not stick to the wound which also gives me the extra entertainment of picking it out with my nails. It hurts like hell, in case you didn't know. "_

_"Hey, kid, I'm…"_

"_I thought we made a pact. I let you burn me, slash me, fuck me over if you don't breathe a word about it to Shizuka. Was keeping quiet that hard? "_

"_Shika…"_

-----

It was still hard. Ridiculously hard, even though I was free of all that now that Shizuka was…gone.

But I didn't crack, not like I used to. For one thing, I don't believe Shizuka would have approved much of me if she was…watching over me and saw that I wasn't taking her words seriously. She wanted the best for me, and that certainly did not include me getting punished for slaughtering two Inuzukas and a Haruno who were responsible for informing Shizuka. It was a legacy she meant for me to keep, even if she didn't outline it blatantly in black and white.

_**Good luck. Be happy. Stay alive. **_

Even though she herself didn't make it out alive.

Sometimes, you have to keep your anger bottled in to make things less complicated. Even though bottling up that anger can kill you inside somewhat. Even though not letting it out can stop you from 'ever' letting it out, except in small frustrating bursts.

Besides, Temari was there with me, all along. I could connect with someone other than Shizuka, for once in my life. And step by step, she pulled me into the light.

So I stopped being the bastard.

And learned to love.

---

Good luck.

Be happy.

"_**Stay alive. "**_

* * *

**(bloodiedsugs's words on WNSS-)**

10939 words. A record.

A bit of a deviation there. Instead of only Shikamaru's perspective, this chapter alternates between Shika and Temari.

There we have it. Nara Shikamaru and Temari's interaction from age 10-12.

I took more care with this story than others, because it's the one I originally planned for White Nights. This was initially based on ShikaXTema, but I decided to change it to SasuHina because it would be easier to explain everything through a naïveté's perspective, and also because it would show the bigger picture.

Long chapter. But this pretty much explains it all, about 80% of Shika's character.

See all those mini chapters? That's putting the original story in a nutshell.

Lol… so, what's your favorite mini chapter?

I liked writing Puppy Love and Legacy. (My friend—while proofreading for me—cried while reading Legacy. I wonder if I'll have the same reaction with the rest of you guys)

Well. Do you think Shikamaru will pull through..?

Bear with me. )


	25. Consequence

---

"_**The **__**White Nights**__** describes the few weeks around the summer solstice during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. The sun does not set until late at night, and twilight lasts much longer."**_

--

"The council calls this meeting to order. "

The cool dark room was lit faintly with a toned down light. Elders from each family sat at their designated seats while a pale faced Temari and trembling Hinata stiffly sat on the smaller chairs. The seats were placed facing the rest of the room, so that all eyes were directed on the two.

"For the witnesses—do proceed with the testimonies. "

A woman who was seated in the Uchiha side of the room ordered. The tightly sealed room gave the odd illusion of being inside a dimmed underground lab. Hinata turned her head towards Temari and whispered:

"…w…what testimony? "

"They want you to explain…what happened in that dome, during the period when …Shikamaru activated the shadow lock. "

Temari answered laboriously with her chilly eyes aimed at the two main heads of the council. She was too tense herself to offer any comfort. Hinata dropped her head and cringed—she did not want to recall what had happened.

They couldn't get the blood out of her clothes—she had to change before she came in.

"Witness number one—Hyuuga Hinata. "

The voice rang out again coolly. Hinata jerked her head up nervously and tried to pinpoint the source of the voice. This time—she recognized with a sour taste in her mouth—it was one of the Hyuuga, which meant that was her own blood kin up there forcing her to go through this ordeal.

"Proceed. "

-----

**White Nights: Summer Solstice**

**Chapter 4- Blackout**

**(Session#1– Consequence)**

-----

"_Get Haruno Sakura…get her before it's too late! "_

"_He's already lost too much blood…"_

"_No time for talking—GET HER!!! "_

---

"…thank god we had Temari there. "

Ryuha spoke grimly as he eyed the brass name plate next to the closed door indicating the patient's name—Nara Shikamaru. He rubbed his closed eyes, trying not the remember what it had been like to flit down to the clearing with a glowering Kiba at his side, only to discover Shikamaru lying peacefully on the ground and Temari up to her elbows in his blood, trying to stop the flow.

"We don't… even have a designated protégée… If he had died, there would have been n—"

"Don't sound so cold-hearted. I know for a fact that the only reason you've been standing here all night with the rest of us is because that's Shikamaru in there, not just some watcher. "

Yurie cut him off mid-word, her long arms crossed. She was on one of the numerous nondescript orange benches so customary of a hospital wing, next to a pale Naruto and even a paler Sai. The other benches were filled out sporadically so as to not attract too much unwanted attention—and also because the Uchiha line were not willing to wait for news side by side with the Hyuugas.

"This is crap timing… I can't believe the nerve of those elders to order Temari and Hinata off to the council meeting right after this happened. "

Naruto murmured gloomily, cradling his head on his slumped elbow.

"All the more so, since the person behind the emergency termination of White Nights is lying in the hospital bed in a coma. Shit—he never should have pulled that off; do you know how big that forest is? "

Kankuro raked his hair with both his hands, pulling at the roots. He felt partially responsible—his phone had fallen out during patrolling and he hadn't been there when Shikamaru and Temari called.

"If he hadn't done so, the situation might have gone out of hand. Sasuke was missing, and everyone was blaming each other…—if he had waited, the word might have fully reached the Hyuuga line about Hinata, and think about what that would have led to. "

Yurie deducted, recalling the way Neji had behaved right after the dome was closed down. Sasuke was taken into custody by his family, most likely to be locked up until the elder court decided on his sentence. He didn't resist, looking a little lost as two Yamanakas and an Itachi thrust him towards home.

Neji wasn't too happy about this—he was forced to remain in the Hyuuga residence as well, under surveillance because of his newly obtained info about Hizaki's "cause" of death.

"…if Hinata had died—and she would have, if not for Shikamaru; she's no match for Uchiha's speed—the Hyuuga line would have declared open war on the Uchiha line for want of revenge, and also for breaking the code of not hurting naivetés. Since…Shikamaru received the blow himself, he at least prevented the war. But left us with no watcher. This cripples us all. "

She concluded, noticing for the hundredth time the missing members of the Hyuuga circle. Neji—probably at home, unless Hiashi took pity and allowed him to visit the hospital, under the circumstances that he…behave. Hinata—at trial with Temari, to testify for god knows what. And as for Kankuro, both Temari and Shikamaru, not to mention Gaara who was at home as usual.

No one spoke for a full minute until Naruto plunged down and kicked the plastic chair in frustration.

"This sucks ass… I thought this would be one of the better of the White Nights I've gone through, since it ended so early. "

Everyone moodily eyed each other.

"I wonder…what the elder's decision would be."

----------

**(Uchiha residence- underground)**

"This will reflect poorly on your reputation Sasuke. "

The dark subsided as the candle was lit.

"And it wasn't that great to begin with. "

Itachi spoke dully to the chained figure that was crouched on the floor. He placed the candle holder on a tableside, grimacing at the patches of mold on the walls.

Sasuke snapped his wrist against the wall at this, watching the metal chain scrape again the floor. Another harsher snap placed a dent on the wooden surface.

"Should I remind you yet again—I wasn't fucking conscious…Why the hell would I want to hurt Nara—he wa…"

"From what I've heard, you tried to kill the naïveté. And the Nara boy stopped you from it. "

_Snap. _

Itachi glanced down to find a pair of glowing red eyes glaring back at him. Sasuke enunciated, pausing between each word:

"…I… wasn't… conscious! "

"You should hope the naïveté thought so. "

Sasuke frowned and cocked his head to face his brother. Itachi bent down and pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket, opening it up to show the contents. He chucked it in front of his younger brother, who had to twist his torso to read it. There were hazy pictures and profiles printed on the sheet. He spotted familiar faces among the rest—Subaku Temari, Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka…Kiba.

Kiba, who definitely thought he had turned from his family, who thought he was a betrayer.

"She's the main girl they have testifying for you—there are not many who can safely say they're positive about what happened in the dome. "

Sasuke tore his eyes away from the face of his former friend and instead glowered at the picture on the top of the page.

"You got to be kidding me… "

Itachi raised his brow.

"You don't expect there's anyone else? Or do you want the Hyuuga selected himself to testify for you? A clean way to the death parole, surely. "

Sasuke let out a tortured grunt and slammed himself against the stone wall, looking away. That would be a laugh; Hyuuga Neji would probably dance in joy and inform the elders that Sasuke was conscious and laughing like a lunatic while trying to kill Hinata.

He halted and scowled, searching for another to express the incredulity he felt this moment—having a naïveté testify for him?

"Hyuuga Hinata doesn't know a thing about my past. "

He spoke rapidly, continuing despite Itachi's bland apathetic expression.

"How is she going to testify that I was in a fit during that time? She doesn't even know I used to have them."

Itachi stood up and sighed.

"That's why she's so perfect for this, according to the elders that is. She doesn't know anything about you. If she thinks you were not yourself then, the elders would believe her, no tags attached. "

He turned to leave, and his hand was on the handle when Sasuke's spoke drily from the floor:

"…what if she doesn't? "

-----------

**(Konoha Main Hall- Underground)**

The trial was over, at least for Temari and Hinata.

The two stiffly rose from their seats and walked pass the solemn line of elders in silence. As soon as the door was shut behind them, Hinata relaxed and half-stumbled, her legs loosening despite her stance.

"…so…that's over with. Right? "

The words were mostly to reassure herself. The dimly lit room reminded her of a torture chamber from something out of a low budget movie, and the trial had been long.

"They didn't exactly give us the proper verdict. I expect they'll make their decision after they hear from everyone. "

Temari murmured, wisps of her honey blond hair obscuring her eyes. Hinata eyed the older girl with apprehension, until a set look flashed upon her face and she murmured:

"…Temari…? "

"Hmm…?"

"I'm sorry. It's my fault that…Nara senpai was hurt. He was only trying to prot…"

Temari's eyed rounded in genuine surprise at the rapidly spoken words.

"Oh no…no, no, honey –you got it all wrong. It's not your fault. "

She shook her head, a strained look crossing her paled face. It was hideous how things had turned out, but there was no use blaming the wrong person.

"How do I explain this…well. You should know, that…Shikamaru is different from anyone you'll come across in your entire life. "

Hinata lowered her head sideways, unable to identify what Temari wanted to say.

The older girl smiled as if in a trance, recalling the stubborn adamant ways of the younger Shikamaru. That time between Shizuka's death and being appointed as the watcher was probably the anarchy period of his life. Three attempted manslaughter and countless numbers of offenses against the elders. She could not pinpoint the exact period when Shikamaru started to cool down and change, but it happened, and now…

"I'll only say this: Shikamaru only sees the bigger picture. There's a reason behind every little move he makes. You know how lazy he is—he will not move unless there's absolutely need to do so. "

There had been a certain point, certain time when the young watcher started to change. He always had been smart, but he had never put his intelligence to proper use before. She wished she could tell Hinata everything, but there were happenings that she could not mention, experiences that could not be explained or would take too much time to summarize.

The only thing she was sure was this:

"It's not your fault. "

Hinata was not sure she followed this logic, but she guessed the older girl should know better. Meanwhile, Temari was reassuring herself that if…if he died, he wouldn't have thrown away his life for nothing. That was one thing she could count on, wasn't it? His actions always had better motives behind them. As their footsteps died away into the deeper regions of the underground corridor, she fought to convince herself that there was a reason.

If only she could ask him what.

"It's…"

A faraway sound of the main door closing echoed in the hallway. The second trial had begun.

"It's almost a tradition now. "

They were almost out of the door when Temari halted. Hinata walked on for a moment then turned back, looking back questioningly. She was agitated and wanted to leave as fast as possible, but Temari's forehead was creased and she stood her ground. Almost awkwardly, the older girl quietly spoke up again, an unnatural tone creeping into her words.

"Every year, someone dies in White Nights. "

She stated this fact as if she was reading from a textbook.

"When times are bad, more dies, but… there hasn't been a White nights when no one died. Last year it had been an Aburame girl. First time. Badly trained. She didn't die in the dome. She spent a full day in the hospital…and then died. "

Hinata froze, immediately seeing where this was going.

"I thought this could be the first, because it ended so fast, but now… "

Temari's knuckles grazed her forehead as her head bowed.

'I don't want him to die… '

This was probably as far as she could go in expressing her thoughts, especially in front of someone who belonged in either of the main lines. Father had taught her time and again, not to expose her weak spots to anyone…

But then again, this girl was a naïveté.

"It is the first—it will be! "

Hinata spluttered, feeling the rising panic choking her. It scared her that even Temari, who seemed so reliable and competent, was expressing doubts. It was harder finally acknowledging the fact that she had to deal with her worries alone—making her realize how things had been wonderful back then, with Neji and Yurie to turn to when she was troubled. Now they were both wound up in their own problems.

And suprisingly... Sasuke.

The thought came out of the blue and struck her like a five ton truck-- believe it or not, she had talked with the Uchiha selected quite a number of times, even though half those chats ended with him glaring at her. Despite what he thought, she'd come to know if, more than he was probably willing to believe.

While she was mulling over these gloomy thoughts, Temari spoke up briskly again.

"Hinata, remember I told you the vaguest summary of Neji and Sasuke's past? "

"…Huh? Y,yes…."

Stumbling over her words, Hinata screwed up her eyes and brought back the time they spent in the watcher's cabin. Temari had told her more than anyone had told her about Konoha back then.

"One thing I didn't mention—Sasuke killed Neji's mentor, Hizaki—yes, but only because he was in a fit that time, the first bout of insanity he ever had. Then Neji punched a hole through him for retribution, because he didn't know either about Sasuke's little…problem. Even now, I don't think everyone knows exactly what is wrong with Sasuke. "

Hinata shifted uncomfortably. The more she found out about Konoha's hidden past, the more she felt nervous. It was better than being completely ignorant, but not by much. It made her wonder why Temari was coming out with all this right now.

"I can't be entirely sure if I'm correct with what I'm about to say. No one can be, since everyone except you, Neji, Sasuke and Shika had been under the shadow lock. "

Temari paused there and held up four fingers, lowering three as soon as she had them up.

"Three of those witnesses are out: Shikamaru, because obviously he's in… no state to talk. Neji—he'd never testify a positive statement for Sasuke, not after what he'd heard and seen what had happened. Even if he did, the elders wouldn't take his words. And Sasuke… he's in house arrest right now, according to what I'd heard. They're not going to let him out until everyone's sure the fit is gone from his system. "

She drummed her fingers lightly against the wall, a faraway look on her set face. She clenched her fist.

"Hinata… I'm telling you this, because I really hope you can prove Sasuke was in a fit that time. "

"I'm proving…what? "

Temari leaned down and placed both hands on the younger girl's shoulders.

"Listen. I know where the elder council is going with this issue—it's all down to one problem: whether Uchiha Sasuke is responsible for his actions or not. The only way it can be proved that he is clean, is saying that he was in a fit that time—that he wasn't conscious. "

With that said, she started to walk away.

This was it. This was as far as she'd go to helping Uchiha Sasuke. Shikamaru always liked to play fair, and it was only fair the Uchiha selected got his chance of bailing out. Shika would have like that.

But since she did not know how big an information Temari had handed her, Hinata stared in confusion.

"But how c…"

"Because if he wasn't, if he had been clear headed at that time…"

A sharp cutting tone. Hinata felt a shiver—Temari had her back turned, but she noticed the tremor in her voice. The knuckles on her clenched fist were white from strain and her shoulders were tense.

"I wouldn't be able to forgive him. "

She opened the entrance door left, the sudden bright light from the outside sun flooding the corridor. Hinata numbly stared after her, unable to move.

-----------

**(Konoha hospital) **

"Hinata! You're here! "

Ryuha greeted her with a weary smile. She noticed the corners of his mouth were up but his eyes were strained and troubled.

"Now… for god's sake, we're all dying here for news. "

He gestured towards the throng of the Hyuuga line seated on the orange bench, line by line. She was momentarily reminded of the trial, and felt the urge to retch.

"Can you tell us why you were in that dome? "

Naruto piped up, his normally merry blue eyes serious and demanding. In fact, everyone seemed to hunger for news. They had been sitting here without sleep, food and information for over 10 hours, and it was about time something came through. Even the Uchiha line sneaked glances at her when they thought she wasn't looking. It seemed like Sasuke and Itachi was still absent, not to mention Kiba who disappeared after the dome was shut down. And Neji…

Hinata bit her lips, eyeing each and everyone nervously until she felt a sour taste in her mouth.

"Can I…can I go to the bathroom first?

Yurie worriedly placed her cool hand on her forehead.

"Hinata…are you okay? "

Hinata forced a smile, which she expected looked tragic on her white sweaty face.

"Of…Of course I'm fine! I just…need to go to the bathroom…"

She mumbled the last words. Yurie and Kankuro stole glances that implied: 'She's not fine at all. '

"The bathrooms are just down the hall—cut to the left and you'll see them. The right one is the girl's bathroom I believe. "

"Thanks…! "

Hinata sped away, refusing to look back at the group huddled in front of Nara senpai's room. She didn't want to conjure up images of him lying there stationary on the bed. No matter what Temari had said; who was going to wash away the guilt for her?

Barging into the girl's bathroom, she flung herself into am empty cubicle and locked it. She snatched the roll of tissue and burrowed her face into the nook of her arms, waiting for the tears.

'…was it right to stay? '

Sniffing into the paper towels, Hinata raised her head in doubt. The more she started to think, the more she thought that maybe, the Uchiha selected had a valid point. She was only a burden and a nuisance on the Hyuuga line, no matter what she had intended.

"…but I'm not a naïveté anymore… am I? "

She murmured into the now soaked wad of tissue, her left arm lowering and growing limp. Even if she wasn't a naïveté, would she still be a drag in the team? What was the right, the correct thing to do?

It was here when the door to the bathroom burst open and the _clack clack_ sound of the high heels entered the room. Hinata impulsively held her breath and hoisted up her legs.

"—and I'm telling you, he's not here! "

The girl seemed to be talking into her cell phone.

It wasn't a voice she recognized, and that was what made her wary. She was mostly acquainted with the people on the Hyuuga line, for Neji had introduced her to most of them. This had to be an Uchiha line girl. And by the sound of it, the obnoxious kind.

"Look, why don't you take my words for this—he's probably at elder counc...what? Of course I don't have the trial sheets, I wasn't anywhere near the middle ground when I was frozen, duh? "

Hinata bit her lips and eyes the ceiling. This was excruciating—this girl wasn't here for the loo; she was here to chat. This could take a while.

"Well then go ask Itachi-san for heaven's sake!! "

_Snap. _

The phone snapped shut and the girl huffed. There was the sound of running water, and then the softer click of a makeup pouch, and the distinct smell of powder filled the room. Hinata grimaced—should she rather come out now and risk interrogation or just stay put? If she stayed too long, she was bound to get caught.

_Bzzzzzz…_

Sound of a vibrating phone. The girl sighed irritably and picked it up.

"What... now...!? Can you stop calling me? I told you to go a—…oh... Hey, Kiba. "

Hinata froze again.

Kiba.

Inuzuka Kiba?

The Inuzuka selected was calling this girl. Would that mean she was a selected too?

"…Miharu? Uchiha Miharu? Since when do you associate with that kid horror? "

A silence, and the slight electric murmur from the phone.

"No…I don't think the elders are going to ask me for trial…hmm? No. Nah. I wasn't exactly near those guys when Nara shadow locked us. Yeah. And oh—by the way, Haruno's looking for you. "

This time, there was a pause from the other side of the line.

"Yeah, surprisingly, this is the second time she asked for you this week. Well the first time, she'd been looking for Sasuke through you, but now we all know where Sasuke is, obviously. No one's surprised. "

Hinata flinched at this. Where was Sasuke? What had happened exactly?

And why did she even care?

* * *

The automatic glass doors leading to the hospital lobby were shoved apart, and a tall figure barged in. The nurse at the front desk blinked and tried to tell him off, but he was already gone.

'Fuck…how could they?! '

Instead of taking the elevator, Hyuuga Neji took the stairs, jumping up to the fifth floor. He had initially meant to enter through a window, but it was too conspicuous in daylight. Wrenching the metal doors open, he briskly stepped into the much quieter hallway for the patients.

It was Ryuha who spotted him first.

"…oi…Neji? Is that you? "

"They can't do this…!! Are they mad?! "

Neji growled instead of the customary greetings. Ryuha glanced at the mass of people gathered in the halls and hastily motioned for his cousin brother to stop. Neji ignored him.

"They can't do this...!!!!"

Ryuha gripped Neji's arm and whispered furiously into his ears:

"Please Neji, shush! We're in a hospital, remember? There are naivetés around, not to mention the Uchiha line! "

Neji thrust away Ryuha's vice-like grasp violently and strode into the hall. The nurses parted, throwing an apprehensive glance at the sudden intruder.

"Hinata—where's Hinata?! "

He demanded as he reached the orange benches. Sai stood up from his spot.

"Neji, what's going on? "

"I need to find Hinata, now! "

Sai cocked his eyebrow at the flushed Hyuuga selected and his urgency. He exchanged looks with Ryuha who shook his head mutely, indicating there was no use arguing.

Motioning for Neji to wait, he silently walked down the corridor, cutting to the left. Pausing by the two doors, he wordlessly threw open the right door. Immediately, somebody shrieked.

"Hey!! Guys aren't allowed in here!! "

Ino chucked a garbage can at him, which he caught with one hand, his nose twitching at the stench of the contents. A dank smell of cosmetics and musk wafted out of the room and he stepped back.

"I'm here to find Hina...the naivete girl. "

"She's not here you pasty creep! "

Hinata flinched in her stall—that scary Uchiha line girl did not know she was in here… but why was he trying to find her?

"…I'm, I'm here! "

Hinata burst out of her stall, her hands still clutching the wringed out teary wad of tissue. Flabbergasted, the Yamanaka selected glared at her as the she scrambled out from her stall.

"Is your line all creeps? One girl who plays hide and seek in a bathroom stall eavesdropping my calls, and one guy who barges into the girl's bathroom with a straight face—you guys disgust me. "

Hinata cringed, but could not make a rebuttal. It was all true.

Lifting her eyes, she managed to make eye contact with the girl whom she had been unwittingly listening to for the past fifteen or so minutes. She was tall and blonde, face immaculately made up, a furious look on her face.

Yamanaka Ino. The Yamanaka selected.

"Well, let's go Hinata. Neji's waiting for you. "

Those words snapped her back to reality. Hinata turned to Sai with an alarmed expression.

"Neji…? But I thought he was in house arrest! "

"Well I think Hiashi took pity on him. We should go—it looked pretty urgent. "

Sai walked out with Hinata in tow, leaving behind a pissed off Ino. Brushing past the line of Hyuugas, he presented her before Neji who instantly pulled her to his side.

"Hinata, you got to run away—this is crazy..!! "

"Neji…? "

She was meeting him for the first time in ten hours, and it wasn't quite what he had been expecting. Gone was the kind and funny cousin brother she had wanted to see. In his place was an outraged selected, who was ready vent the unfairness of the council's decision to the world.

His hand clenching hers painfully, Neji turned and ordered Sai:

"…could you tell the others to call home and say I'm not coming back…soon? "

Sai took the hint and moved away. When he was gone from their sight, Hinata piped up worriedly:

"…what happened? "

Neji scowled.

"The elders finished their trial. The results are out. "

His grip got tighter. She braced herself.

"Hinata—here's…the verdict: You're to spend…the rest of the week, which means approximately six…damn days, inside the Uchiha mansion, observing Uchiha Sasuke. "

"Observing…what?! W…why? "

Nothing could have prepared her for this.

She flinched and gaped at Neji, who didn't look like he believed his words either. It seemed like an unlikely decision, bordering on ridiculous. Sasuke had almost killed her back at that dome. Why were the elders forcing her into yet another danger zone?

"I…thought …they didn't want me to be near them! Because…"

The words died in her throat. She was certain they would kill her or at the very least, maul her. Neji's expression indicated that he clearly thought so too.

"They say they can't hurt you, because you're a naïveté."

Hinata went pale, but it was not what Neji thought.

The truth finally dawned on her.

Nara senpai was the only person who knew she wasn't a naïveté anymore. He was the only who had heard her confess that she suddenly could sense the faraway movements, just like the rest of them. If the Uchiha line found out…

No more protection.

They were free to do whatever they wanted with her.

"They want you to prove he was a in a fit during that time… since the Uchiha elders won't take my words for anything—they think I'm… prejudiced, because of the Hizaki incident. "

He disgustedly clamped his hand on the metal rails and squeezed, leaving dents. Hinata blinked and tore his hand away from the rails, stuttering:

"W…what if I can't prove he was in a fit…? What happens then…? "

"We're not entirely sure if our elders would go as far as to bringing out the last resort… "

A new voice intervened from behind, a male voice reminiscent of a certain selected, but not quite so.

Neji gaped at the guy, as did Hinata. She vaguely recognized the maroon headed senior to be Ryuha's acquaintance; the one everyone considered a genealogical quirk. The one who was strangely enough, brother to the belligerent Inuzuka selected.

Inuzuka Amano.

"I mean, there really is no specified follow-up. But if it would mean it will placate your elders in one act...they might just as well do it. "

"Not really getting your point. "

Neji stated ungraciously at which Amano drew up a wry smile. He did not seem to mind the belligerency. Hinata, slightly emboldened by Neji's presence beside her, inquired the mellower of the Inuzuka brothers:

"…do what? "

"Death sentence. "

He answered simply.

She blanched.

"They'll going to kill him…?!!!! "

Everyone in the hallway turned back at her shriek, their eyes suddenly on her. Hurriedly Neji and Amano shifted so that their height shrouded her from prying eyes. The others of the Hyuuga line caught the drift and pretended not to notice. The dull drone of casual chatting sprung up again.

When the initial shock was over, Neji relaxed and murmured under his breath:

"Not…so loud Hinata. Remember there are naïvetés in this building. "

"B..but… they can't, can't they? Isn't he their selected…?"

"They've done worse before. "

Amano pointed out, his dull eyes measuring up the two Haruno boys that passed by them giving him a half dirty half questioning look. Hinata was clearly unaware of Konoha's dirty little secret, despite the fact that she still knew a lot for a naïveté. There were too many 'incidents' that accumulated over the years that people overlooked or simply forgot, or so they claimed. As a matter of fact, it was hard to pinpoint one occasion that he could not forgive the elders for—there were just too many. And he got numb to it all.

"We're not exactly the compassionate bunch. What is to be done, is done. "

* * *

**(bloodiedsugs words on WNSS-**

What a gloomy chapter—even I feel down…BUT HAPPY NEW YEAR !! (lol) Finally, Chapter 4- Blackout ^^!

PS: did anyone notice my chapters are getting slowly looonger ..... T.T

I'll try to write the best I can. Story's getting complicated;;

Reminder:

-Miharu told Kiba to accuse Sakura (but Sakura does not know this)

-Inuzuka Kiba and Haruno Lee are the only ones who know Sakura brought Hinata into the dome

-Sasuke thinks Hinata doesn't know about his fits, but she does, thanks to Temari.

-Only Shikamaru knows Hinata has powers (something's wrong here too- Hinata could move through Shikamaru's shadows)

-Sasuke betrayed his own line in many ways- especially to the Inuzukas.

This will all somehow result in something. Phew.

Bear with me. )


	26. Day One

---

"_**The **__**White Nights**__** describes the few weeks around the summer solstice during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. The sun does not set until late at night, and twilight lasts much longer."**_

--

"They've just finished the naïveté and Subaku's trial. It's your turn soon Kiba. "

Miharu smiled, her carefree expression contrasting with Kiba's dark gloomy one. The dimly lit hallway was empty except for those two, Temari and Hinata having departed half an hour ago.

The underground courtroom was freezing at best, almost a direct reminder of the dusty cool Uchiha mansion. Kiba stood in his tattered shirt, not having bothered to change his clothes after the battle. Miharu waited exactly thirty seconds for a response, than rapidly emphasized her point yet again:

"Don't forget the deal—you could save Sasuke a lot of trouble if—"

"Sasuke betrayed our line. "

A pause.

"Oh? "

Miharu stepped back and took a long examining look at the Inuzuka selected. He wore his stubborn expression, tinted with a hint of remorse. When he discovered her observing him, he angrily turned his head.

She smirked.

"You haven't got the heart to betray him. "

"It's not about betraying, it's about telling the goddamn truth…!! "

He brushed past the petite Uchiha in a storm, his face contorted in anger. Miharu's mouth dropped open as she stared at him depart. She had been certain that good for nothing dog had an ounce of sensibility in him.

"_There is a matter that still needs to be decided—who entered Hyuuga Hinata into the dome? "_

She shook her head mutely.

Actually, as excruciating as this was to admit, no matter what Kiba yapped about in the trial, the only real thing that was going to save her brother was that putrid naïveté girl. Miharu, under the orders of Itachi, had been testing Kiba's alliance within the Uchiha line—it was hard to tell what for though. Whether he stuck to Sasuke or the rules, it still showed he was loyal to something, didn't it?

The slight girl turned and slowly began the stroll out of the hallway.

"No way you'd turn your back on Sasuke—especially for Haruno, dog. "

-----

**White Nights: Summer Solstice**

**Chapter 4- Blackout**

**(Session#2–Day one)**

-----

**(Konoha Hospital)**

The visiting hours were officially over. The fluorescent lights were toned down or entirely turned off, and the building had gone silent.

"I expect Neji already told you the news. "

Yurie commented quietly as Hinata approached the orange benches alone. It was nearing 2am, and the crowded hallway had thinned out considerably. Only Yurie seemed to have remained, oddly enough. Hinata hung her head.

"Yes…Neji did. "

"Dad took him back to the house? "

"…yes. "

Hinata remembered with unease the way Neji had crushed her hand in his, refusing to let go. Was this really as dangerous an outcome as Neji made out, or was he overreacting? Hiashi hadn't seemed too worked up, but then again, he would be used to this kind of verdict—he was closer to being an elder than one of the younger generation—or as they sarcastically put it: fighting crew.

"Feeling okay… Hinata? "

"Why…aren't you inside? "

Dodging the question, Hinata asked one of her own. Most people looking after patients overnight spent the night by the bedside, didn't they? Although it was weird that Yurie alone had remained when the other Hyuugas have gone on home.

Yurie sighed.

"I'm not…allowed in there. "

"Not allowed…? "

Hinata shook her head, bewildered. Her cousin sister wearily tugged at her silky dark locks.

"Well you see, I have long black hair. Which, Shikamaru accidentally might interpret as two possibilities: the late Shizuka or the very much alive Nahoko. Either way, quite a shock for anyone who's coming out of a c—…though you wouldn't know. It's one of those past things. "

Yurie smiled stiffly, not too happy to mention the past. Hinata decided not to mention she already heard the summary of what had happened in Konoha year before she stepped into its premises. Instead, she blurted out the first thought that entered into her head.

"But he's…unconscious. "

She didn't want to say 'in a coma'.

Yurie smiled sadly and shrugged her slender shoulders.

"…just a precaution…I guess we're all working under the assumption that he will. "

Nodding silently, Hinata walked up to the doorway. She paused to knock, then remembered there would be no answer.

Did she dare go in?

"You can go inside. Someone's in there. "

Yurie informed her, smiling wearily.

"Oh…"

Hinata pushed the door open and crept into the room, surprised that she could not smell that nauseating smell of blood anymore. Temari was in the room she discovered, seated on the visitor's chair propped next to the bed. And in the bed, there laid Nara senapi, his face unrealistically immobile.

It was strange seeing him with his hair down.

"…you're leaving for the Uchiha mansion soon, aren't you? I've heard. "

Temari spoke without looking at her. Hinata started to nod, then realized the gesture could not be seen with one's back turned.

"…yes. They're coming to pick me up at three…"

"How do you feel? "

Hinata stopped short at the frank question. Obviously, she should answer "I'm dying of fear" or something of that sort, but strangely enough she didn't feel so. What she felt was more of a mixture of intense curiosity and awkward anticipation, but of what, she didn't know.

"…nervous? "

"Yes. "

Temari swiveled gently on the chair, raising her head to meet eyes.

"They won't hurt you. Just remember what I told you—that's as far as I'm playing fair. I've given Sasuke his chance—that would be you—and… "

She drifted off mid-sentence, her icy eyes lowering at the floor. Hinata inched towards the bed, the guilt throbbing in her head despite Temari's earlier reassurance of her blamelessness.

"…but how am I supposed to prove he was in a fit? "

She whispered, tearing her eyes away from the huge wad of bandage on Nara senpai's shoulder. Temari sighed.

"…you have to produce some factual evidence. But that's going to be hard, considering the fact that the only witness was you, and words can be manipulated anytime. "

She tapped her blonde head with her index finger.

"Be creative. "

**-----------**

**(No Man's Land)**

Taking a deep breath, Inuzuka Kiba leapt from the tree.

In mid-air, he reached out and made a snatching motion, striking the already dead bird against the forest ground as he landed. His lemon yellow pupils turned brown as soon as he hit the ground. A glance at the bloody mess on the decomposed leaves and he started to crumble.

"I never meant to kill you… "

He snorted at this even as he whispered the words, stepping towards the small fresh carcass. The irony of trying to explain himself to a dead bird when in reality, he could not even explain his actions to himself. When he could not justify anything that he did.

"But if I don't kill you, I kill something else. You know? "

He crouched down, sullen and cynical. Spending time hunting—hunting for god's sake—to vent off his energy. Killing small game to direct his pointless anger at something that wasn't human. Who knew 'this' was how he'd live his high school days?

It's been a hard 2 years, acting out the selected he never wanted to be.

Sure, he was fast. Sure, he was strong. Sure, he could last hours in battle—he had the stamina.

Physically, he was one of the best damn selected material there ever was. But when Amano, his big brother, was cast off from the list of potential selecteds and the arrow pointed to him, Kiba had wanted to scream. Were they out of their minds? Did they not know how weak he was inside for god's sake—they were family, they should know!!

But instead, he strutted and whooped with the rest of his rowdy cousin brothers in triumph—so who's to say he was sane? Couldn't he have acted the way he wanted and drop in the eyes of the elders as a useless but free being? All he wanted to be was be the joker of the crowd, the prank loving kid with a happy attitude. He did love to fight, but not like this. Look at him now—bitter as hell and not a trace of his former self.

Sasuke was right. He's always been right. Kiba should have fought for his freedom.

Even if it was an empty gesture, he had more chance than Sasuke ever did of escaping this fate—but he did nothing like the coward he was. He could never admit it, but it was all true: he cared too much about everything, despite his shell of bravado.

Sasuke was right.

"…that insane fuckhead is more right about me than myself. "

He laughed out loud.

Sasuke had been the pillar of his sanity.

When he was with the guy, he could be sure there was at least one other sane fuck among the group of insane fucks. Many people tagged the Uchiha selected as the crazy one of his flock, but Kiba never thought so. The guy was misunderstood.

"…misunderstood my ass. "

His fist crushed the small bones, and he started to cry as the blood seeped into his hand.

He remembered the first time he met Sasuke.

------

"…_what did you want from me? Do you realize it's recess? I don't want to waste my time talking to some loser who used to be a nothi—"_

"_It's okay, you don't have to do that in front of me. "_

_The slight raven haired boy had cut him off deftly, not even facing him. This was before the Uchiha selected had his growth spurt, and he stood at least a head shorter than Kiba. _

_But he ignored the Inuzuka's presence as he continued to flip through a car magazine casually. _

_Kiba seethed and growled: _

"_Do what…asshole? "_

"_That—is what I'm talking about. "_

_The bottomless pair of onyx eyes gazed straight ahead, as if he was talking to the wall instead of the newly appointed Inuzuka selected. He flicked the magazine into the trash bin and continued: _

"_That, is what's going to make your life harder. But you have to keep it up with the other ones, because that's how we command, not as far as respect, but authority. We're a stereotypical barbaric bunch. Practically caveman, I admit. But I'll promise you this: "_

_Sasuke finally turned to look at him. _

"_You won't have to do that with me. "_

"……"

_--------_

There are words that turn situations. There are people than move other people. There are people with words who can change somebody.

And Uchiha Sasuke had been his best fucking friend.

Had been.

"…hey, you…asshole. I'm talking to a fucking tree, but I'll just…fucking pretend it's you. "

Another deep breath—it stopped the tears.

"I just came back from the trial. I testified. I actually negotiated with your horror of a sister—Miharu. She wanted me…to blame it all on Haruno Sakura. "

A pregnant pause. He started to laugh again hysterically.

"…funny. I'd have said anything to get you out of trouble…but you're already in too much shit. Nothing I say or do is going to change that fact, and I doubt you'd even care how I tried, as long as you get to nurse that FUCKING NAIVETE DREAM!!! "

He shouted the last words, and heard a mass of birds shooting out of the silent trees, fleeing from the source of the noise.

"That's right!! You and your naivetés—you and your fucking freedom!!!! "

He hollered, glad with the cacophony he was making.

If there was anything wrong about Sasuke and his dream of being free from this system—it was that he never included anyone else in it. Isolating himself in that fantasy, Kiba always had the chance to look into Sasuke's ideal, but never had the honor of joining it.

It was what pissed him off the most about Hyuuga Hinata.

Before when she wasn't here, Sasuke and he had been in the same place, even though their dreams differed. Now that the naïveté Hyuuga stumbled into town, the Uchiha selected was practically having a vicarious high, whether or not he realized it. And Kiba was left behind, still in the same filthy position, unable to understand why his friend looked so goddamn happy when in fact; things were just the same as it were.

Life was complicated.

"…I testified against you, Sasuke. I can't stand your fucking sister, and I can't blame everything on Haruno, even though she's the one that started this mayhem. "

He placed a hand on the bark of the tree, chortling and crying.

"I'm sorry. But hey—what about me? Where does anything leave me? If you die, at least you're out of this mess…I get to stay and enjoy this hell until I get some sense in me to quit like Nara's sister did—though he'd kill me himself if he heard me say that…if he ever wakes up; god damn, you're in so much trouble, it sickens me…"

Kiba paused again, taking a look at the bright sky. White Nights still technically had six more days to go.

"…six days, mate. Six days to get that naïveté into action and make her want to make you stay alive and breathing. She's in the position of power now—your life is in her hands. "

Again, the irony. An ideal and savior rolled into one, how convenient.

He tried once more to feel happy for his friend, and failed.

'Lucky bastard…'

----------

**(Uchiha residence)**

Hinata stepped into the cool duty mansion, still feeling the throb in her hands that had resulted from Neji's grip.

He was left behind of course—Hyuugas weren't allowed in Uchiha territory—and he made quite a scene about really letting her go. She flexed her fingers silently, refusing to take in the lofty living room and the masses of stairs that led to god knows where. The mansion seemed huge, but it was already suffocating her. The Hyuuga loft seemed like a paradise compared to this.

"Did you bring all your necessities? You'll be living in there for a while."

Temari was being as caring as possible, but she wasn't a gentle girl by nature, and couldn't provide the genuine warmth that Yurie and Neji or even Ryuha—blood kin—emanated whenever they dealt with a crisis. Hinata forced a smile and held up her duffel bag silently. Nothing in there could keep her from feeling remotely safe. Not here.

They stopped short at the middle of the room where the mansion divided into four separate hallways complete with two staircases leading up and down.

"…Well. This is as far as I'm escorting you. "

Temari didn't exactly offer a hug, but instead gave her shaking shoulders a squeeze.

"I hope…you'll be fine, Hinata. "

As soon as the older girl's hand left her body, Hinata felt a rising panic. She wanted to drop her bags and cling to Temari, to anyone that was part of the Hyuuga line or at the very least, neutral. Her mind was screaming that this was wrong, this was ridiculous—these kinds of things don't happen in real life.

But as her timid nature went, she didn't protest or even turn back as she was led deeper into the building. She held back her scream when the door slammed shut behind her, and an impish simpering Uchiha girl—"Hi, naïveté. I'm Uchiha Miharu. "—led her through the mazelike hallways.

"I'll be leading you directly to ni-san then? "

The girl commented loftily, the hem of her skirt fluttering as she moved easily down the stairs. She moved too fast, and Hinata laboriously chased after her with the bag dragging against the wooden stairs, aghast at the sudden realization that this Uchiha girl was Sasuke's sister.

She wanted to ask if she was going to be given a room to place her belongings in for the stay, but she didn't want to initiate any conversation. Despite the elfish innocent look the petite Uchiha girl had, she had a troubling presence, something Hinata couldn't place, but assumed that was bubbling right below the harmless surface. It was different from Sasuke's presence—yes, he was violent and persistently angry, but at least he was honest about it.

This girl just plain creeped her out, reminding her of the tales Temari had told her about Uchiha Nahoko. Perhaps it ran in the family.

Miharu, on the other hand, was enjoying this chore of dragging the naïveté around thoroughly. The girl was just too different from the rest of the bunch, even the Hyuugas, as if she sprouted from a different species entitled "naïveté." Deliberately taking the long way down, Miharu critically analyzed the way Hinata stumbled about behind her, still trembling and her eyes huge.

Scaredy cat—she thought maliciously. Well that gave her an idea.

"Here it is. Nothing big—he's just in the corner room. "

"…He's…in here? "

The tiny underground hall was humid and dark, and if possible, even more stifling than the rest of the house. The small cell-like rooms gave off the feel of a cellar or an underground shed to store unused tools in—not exactly a place for a person to dwell in. Hinata hesitantly stepped forward, but as soon as she did so, the door that led down the stairway slammed shut.

Alarmed, she turned around to find Miharu gone, her giggles echoing down the stairway. She must have flitted up while her back was turned.

"He's in the corner room, naïveté!! If you can't find him—try every door! "

Miharu's voice resonated down the rails, and Hinata turned milk-white. She spun around in a full circle, and made out at least 10 something doors in that one turn—and the hallway stretched on. And she couldn't even see the end of the hallway where supposedly, the corner room was at.

Was this a joke?

If it was, that was even worse—she could only imagine what an Uchiha's idea of a joke was.

Standing somewhat alone in the middle of a dark underground hallway, Hinata felt the timeless childhood fear of the darkness return. She attempted reassuring herself that she had more things to fear than the dark, but that did not make things better. She was alone in the middle of a mansion full of people that would gladly kill her if they had the right to do so.

"…corner room… corner room…corner room… "

A chilling mantra.

She wished she had brought along a flashlight—but no, flashlights weren't exactly what she thought of when she thought necessities. Tampons, maybe, or books to read, but not flashlights. Maybe she should change her perception of things. After all, she was in Konoha.

"…corner room…cor…ner room…"

Her voice was dragging into a whisper, so that even she couldn't hear it.

Of course, unknown to her, Miharu was directly upstairs, trailing Hinata's footsteps, giggling as her open ears took in the naïveté girl's terrified chanting. Yes—chanting. This was priceless.

Miharu fell about laughing until she was startled by a sudden presence before her.

"…oh. You. What is it? "

It was Lee, Haruno Lee, the wuss of the Haruno bunch. Miharu thought it ironic that she had ditched one coward just to run into another. She wriggled her tongue impatiently, waiting for the boy to speak up.

"…did the naïveté testify yet? "

Lee finally inquired, his face a nasty green.

Thinking he looked like he swallowed poison, Miharu shook her shoulders carelessly.

"Didn't you hear about the trials, Haruno? She's going to live here for six days, try and prove ni-san was in a fit. A right laugh if you ask me, this whole deal. "

Here, Lee turned even a sicker green, and left without a goodbye. Miharu stared after him, narrowing her eyes. What was his problem? She set herself down against the floor to spy on Hinata again, but then halted.

Somehow, the fun had gone out of it.

-----

**(Uchiha residence—underground)**

Hinata was at her wits end.

Five minutes stuck in this damp dark hole would render anyone into a submissive timid bundle, and she had been in here for twenty. The cell phone she had fished out of her pocket did not help—the battery was full, thank god, but the bright light was too much of a contrast with the dim candles. It only reminded her of how dark the hallway was beyond the small circle of light she placed herself in—easy target, if anyone was out to get her. They assured her she'd be safe, but nothing was certain, wasn't it?

She could call someone, but she naturally assumed she should save the batteries. After all, she'd be here for six days, and bigger conflicts might show itself before that period ended. And who knew if the Uchihas would be nice enough to let her recharge the batteries?

No wonder Neji had panicked—he was right, he was always right. She should have balked right along with him when they announced the verdict, she should have fought to have a different solution…

But as usual, she had done nothing. And this was what she sowed from the seeds of her action.

She gave up on searching for Sasuke and stood awkwardly under the candlelight. She bet Miharu had deliberately placed her in the wrong place, just to have her fun with the cowardly naïveté. Both her hands gripped the cell phone— her only source of comfort—and she squeezed her eyes shut, making a list of all the things she wanted to do, trying to remain sane.

She wanted to leave, wanted to crawl outside and bask in the sunlight, wanted to feel like she was an appreciated human being again, wanted to feel safe, wanted to know that life was as normal as it used to be before everything went crazy and w—

"…you trying to find me by praying? Or have you just gone nuts? "

_A low sardonic voice._

Hinata started, and dropped the phone. It landed with a sickening crack on the concrete floor, shining towards a cell she hadn't bothered to check. She could barely make out the silhouette of a teenage boy crouched down on the floor, facing this way.

_…Uchiha Sasuke._

So Uchiha Miharu had not been lying. He was really here.

"You have the patience of a newborn dog. All you had to do was look behind a couple doors. "

His sarcastic tone—it used to chagrin her before, but it sounded heavenly at the moment. At least she knew what to expect from him—an aggressive lecture about why she should leave Konoha, and a surly attitude that clashed with his actions which usually involved saving her. Ironically enough, in the house full of people who'd love to torture her—physically and mentally—Uchiha Sasuke was the only familiar, "safe" face she could make out.

This fact terrified and amused her.

"…it was… dark. "

"You had a fucking cell phone—what more do you need? "

"I'm trying to save battery! "

The energy had slightly returned to her voice, and she went about briskly hoisting her bag on to her right shoulder. Cringing in effort, she reached the cell door and peered in through the gaps in the metal rungs. Practically a prison cell.

There he was on the floor, leaning against the stone wall, facing her although she couldn't properly see his face.

She stared, and he grimaced.

"I thought I already told you to not stare. It irks me. "

She went inside.

He was almost in the same state he had been when he had first left the dome. The unhealed cut in his cheek made her wonder if the Uchihas had taken his right to be cared for. His hair was messy and tousled, and his forlorn state was a clear reminder of how seriously the Uchiha line took punishment of an offense. It was hard to imagine Neji being chained in his own house.

She also noticed he remained on the floor. As her eyes adjusted to the dim candlelight, it was easier to make out the dark outline that elongated from the corner of the wall.

"…I didn't think…it was true. "

Setting down her blue duffel bag, Hinata crouched down and laid a hesitant hand on the rusty chains. It made her want to laugh at first—this was the 21st century, these things only happen in movies…don't they? She gingerly poked at a chain while Sasuke gaped at her. He had tried to kill her before, and here she was, barely half a meter away from him—was she mad?

When he saw how careless she was in approaching him, he whispered rapidly, forgetting to snarl:

"Aren't you afraid I might go crazy and kill you? "

The words should have had that cynical tone in them, but it only sounded inquisitive.

"…"

Hinata ran the question over in her mind. Sasuke probably did not know that she knew, about his fit. Nobody had been present when Temari told her, and since she didn't tell anyone else that she knew…

She grabbed the rusty chain and held it in her palm. It was heavy.

"You weren't yourself…when…you did that. "

She ventured and peeked at him through her raven bangs. His face was inscrutable, but she noticed the twitch in his fingers. She let the chain drop then, the metallic thud clanging through the room. When Sasuke spoke again, a noticeably sarcastic tone had crept into his voice, almost as if he was attempting to sound nonchalant.

"…and how do you know that? You don't know shit about me. "

She didn't know how to answer that one.

It felt like he would get furious if she told him Temari told her, almost as if she had been going around asking for information about him—which she sort of had.

Then again, it felt wrong to lie. The guy was chained inside a dump of a cell in his own house, he at least deserved the truth, didn't he? She could not decide.

So she stayed silent.

---------

**(bloodiedsugs's words on WNSS-**

First of all, I want to thank everyone who read and commented on my story.

I was a little worried about this one at first, because unlike what most people expect when they see that word SasuHina in the description, this story had barely any implications of romance between the two (yeah, I know I suck) and it's a completely different world I'm trying to describe—no mention of shinobi anywhere lol. And it's quite gloomy—not a happy go lucky story. Even the action scenes, which make up the bulk of the story (apart from the past stories), suck XD ahahahah…

I thought people would read the first few chapters, then chuck it;;

Lol. I remember the days I used to start writing HSBK—I was happy when I got five comments, my average was two for a session at first. I keep joking that I don't upload unless you comment, but actually the real reason I don't upload is because I'm still probably editing; lol; I read one chapter at least 10 times before I upload it, and still I have silly mistakes -_- (but the comments do help, it makes me "want to" write, so thank you! )

I'm warning you—this is going to be a long story. Problem is, I have a long plot in mind. And …well, I'm kinda scared you guys might be tired out during the ride.

Just want to say.

Thanks for reading this guys. You're awesome for reading this =) (I'm not exactly the best writer, mediocre at best, but I try. And there's always space for improvement, so who knows where the story will end up lol; )

I'll try harder.

PS: Hinata will have a breakthrough by the end of this chapter, I promise. So everyone who was sick of her being cowardly, timid and useless…wait for it. =)

Bear with me.)


	27. Day Two

---

"_**The **__**White Nights**__** describes the few weeks around the summer solstice during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. The sun does not set until late at night, and twilight lasts much longer."**_

--

"I hate this. Feeling helpless. "

The machine beeped on, as if to remind everyone that it was a live person lying on the bed. She kept talking, ignoring the silence from her companion.

"I'm the kind of girl that likes to feel like I'm in control. You know that. "

It was the second time in her life ever she felt this way.

Temari gazed unsmilingly into her fiancée's motionless face, somewhat reminded of the time when Gaara had been mauled by that rogue Inuzuka. It was the same 24/7 nursing, the nights spent without sleep. The same restless head aching nightmares when she did get some sleep.

The frustrating part was that, she could do nothing to help. She didn't mind getting two hours of sleep everyday. She didn't mind sticking around at the hospital all day, barely eating one meal a day. She didn't mind missing school, which most other kids back from the battle had already begun attending. She just couldn't stand that her efforts didn't measure up to anything. This was probably the only time she sorely envied people like Haruno Sakura, who at least could heal the person she loved.

At least this time, even Haruno couldn't work her magic. Shikamaru was in a coma, and that was that.

End of story.

"Temari, Jesus…you should get some sleep, y'know? Wouldn't help a great deal if you also dropped down out of fatigue. "

Kankuro commented gruffly as he entered the stuffy hospital room, his hair sticking up in one side from having washed up at the hospital bathroom. Temari critically eyed her brother from her spot by the bed.

"Look who's talking. You slept in the bench? "

"Nah. One of the nurses took pity and let me doze in the employee's couch. She even gave me a clean sheet for a blanket. "

He grinned nonchalantly and grabbed a backless stool, dragging it along with him as he sat down next to his sister, who smiled wearily at his mock display of charm.

"I'm sorry. I'd like to have you sleep on a proper bed, but…there's only one extra cot in this room…"

"See? So why don't you go home and get some rest so I can have your spot and sleep on the visitor's cot? Problem solved. "

Kankuro cut in with a forced cheery tone, the casual words lined with concern. It was one thing seeing his sister shout and cast tables aimed at his head for spilling gravy on her paperwork. He could deal with that. It was another thing entirely seeing her overwrought and tense, not even bothering to put into words what she was going through. And she was a pretty vocal person when you got to know her.

"Temari, I'm serious. You've only been back home once since the dome was taken down, and that was just to take a bath and change clothes—twenty minutes, tops. Shika wouldn't mind if y—"

"No…"

She averted her eyes, upset over how vulnerable she sounded each moment this conversation dragged on. It usually was the best choice to remain unwavering to any distraction, any catastrophe.

But this was Kankuro. He was family. Couldn't she let it out to at least one person who knew her as much as Shikamaru did?

She shut her eyes balanced her aching head on her overturned palms.

"…what if he…"

_Just say it. _

"…passes away while I'm gone?

Kankuro cringed inside.

Gaara situation all over again. Fantastic. It was one of those times when he felt like he should stitch his mouth shut so he wouldn't say the wrong thing.

"…hey. Shikamaru won't leave you like that. He's not really that kind of a guy. "

Thank god he found the right words.

"He won't leave without at least a goodbye. "

Shit. He should have left it at the first sentence.

-----

**White Nights: Summer Solstice**

**Chapter 4- Blackout**

**(Session#3–Day Two)**

-----

**(Uchiha residence)**

"No—fuck, DON'T take it off!!! "

Sasuke growled at the slight Uchiha boy that set about taking off his chains.

Actually, it was three boys with Itachi supervising, with two of them desperately clamping down on the selected's legs to stop them from shooting up and kicking the other boys. Hinata did not know what to make of this scene—in a way, it could be seen as comical, but it wasn't.

Sasuke was obviously strongly against the idea of no chains, but this seemed ridiculous. Even in the dim light, she saw how the heavy metal dug into his wrist and made a reddish black bruise form around the spots where the edge hadn't already cut into the skin. It weighted him down, not to mention had him tethered to the stone walls like a chained dog.

So why protest?

"Don't just stand there—say something!! "

He suddenly turned to her and rasped, his red eyes—this time she wasn't mistaken—glowering at her. She involuntarily took a step back, her mouth opening and closing up like a goldfish. It had been hell sleeping in the cold damp cell, and her throat was sore from the dust.

Finding her voice, she asked uncertainly:

"…say…what? "

He might have rolled his eyes if he had the time to do so.

"Tell them to have me chained—are you stupid or what?! "

He snarled at her, his wrist jabbing forwards to point at the other boys surrounding him. The chain followed in its wake and produced a metallic clatter as it dragged against the floor.

Itachi took a step forward and glanced at Hinata.

"You'd rather have him chained? "

He inquired.

Hinata didn't realize he had been speaking to her—Itachi was facing frontward—but as the silence grew, she made the deduction.

"…n…no! Why would I want him chained…? "

At her indignation, he turned his head slightly, so that his profile could be seen. Hinata clenched her fists reluctantly and looked away.

_If looks could kill. _

"…OF COURSE YOU WANT ME CHAINED!! "

Sasuke bellowed from the corner, lashing out at one of the momentarily alarmed boy at his side, his feet catching the boy's chest and knocking him out. Instantly, Itachi vanished from his original spot and reappeared next to Sasuke, his right leg crushing his younger brother's back into place. Sasuke relented as soon as the other two Uchiha boys fell back, wary of their selected's wandering legs.

"You've done enough damage for this week—no more, Sasuke. "

"Then, don't, do this. "

He snarled, but with a pleading note in his tone. Itachi bent down and whispered:

"_You've kept yourself in check for the past years—you can go six days without losing it, I presume. "_

With that, he unlocked and removed the rusty chains from the selected's wrist, locking them it into two separate metal bars on the other side of the room. He left then, without a word, with the three other Uchiha boys in tow. Leaving Hinata alone with him.

"You…idiot! "

He groaned, grimacing as he mashed himself against the wall, his back grazing against the uneven stone surface. He looked like an animal chained in a cage—except that the chains were gone; so much for the analogy.

"What if I go nuts and kill you again? Did you even think about that…?! "

"But I'm trying to prove that you're not going t—"

"I don't care about what you're trying to prove; damn it! "

Spacing himself as far a distance as he could be to her—which was not very far, considering the cramped cell—Sasuke spat out of string of curses, all of which sounded too strained to Hinata's ears to be truly insulting.

It was odd—back in the dome, he'd been a little overbearing and cynical, but he'd been decent. Civil, even. But now, he seemed to hate her suddenly as much as he did before when he first met her, in Kakashi sensei's lit class, where he had glared intensely at her for a full minute until disgustedly turning away.

If hate was the right word.

"You're hurt. "

She pointed out, just to make small talk. The chains had dug grooves into his skin, bruising and cutting him, and it didn't seem like he received medical care after the battle. His actions did not help the overall image—he had placed himself in the corner of the room, refusing to budge. Like a wounded animal would react to a poacher.

"None of your concern. "

Her breath caught in her throat at the way he snarled back. Genuine anger rolled off him in distinguishable waves, but she couldn't see why. His mood had changed so swiftly.

Hinata sat down and thought—okay _now, what? What to do? _Sasuke wasn't helping one bit, and this was her trying to save him.

Temari's words rang in her head, over and over again.

"_Be creative. "_

---

**(Haruno residence- Lee's room)**

"Shit…shit…shit!!! How could they be so god-damn stupid!!! "

A punch and a kick.

"Six days to observe him? Have "her" decide whether he' going to live or not? Are they insane?!? "

Haruno Lee sat quietly while his sister raged a storm around the room—his room to be precise. She was venting off anger at the elder council, but it seemed to him that she was more furious at herself at letting this happen.

"Sis—calm down… I mean, you didn't get into trouble—"

"And instead Sasuke got the blow!!! Hello, Lee? I'd rather have "me" killed! "

She aimed a kick at the bed, and Lee winced as her leg took out a chunk of limber. His room was suffering the consequences of her anger.

"We got to get this fixed…that naïveté's with him 24/7 now! "

She pulled at her strawberry blonde tresses, groaning in frustration, and her brother watched on in silence.

Lee could not ever address the issue vocally, but he secretly agreed with Ino when she idly mentioned that Sakura was too obsessed with Sasuke to see any other factors. She immediately canceled out the rest of the issue as long as the Uchiha selected was safe and sound.

But this issue began because of her particular penchant to do things the misogynic way.

He should've seen this coming. He should have stopped her. If he had stopped her at the right moment, he wouldn't have to deliver this news.

"…did the elders mention anything else? "

Sakura croaked from the foot of the bed. She had crouched down and burrowed her face into the nook of her tangled arms. Lee uneasily drew back, not wanting to hear her scream again at the news he was about to drop.

"…they sort of did…after Kiba's trial. "

"What did they say? "

Lee hesitated.

"Well…uh. If this doesn't work out—meaning if Hyuuga Hinata can't prove Sasuke was in a fit…well. "

"Well what?! "

How should he put this so she wouldn't balk.

"I'm betting it was the Hyuuga elder who made this possible…and…"

"Quit stalling!! "

She chucked a chair at him and he docked it.

"Alright! Alright—they're going to pull the so-called "final solution" on him…!! "

"…?! "

She went mute.

"…sis? "

--

**(Uchiha residence)**

"You are ridiculous; I'm being nasty to you, so why even bother speaking? "

Sasuke growled yet again after Hinata's seventh feeble attempt to communicate.

"Because I'm afraid! "

She retaliated, her eyes blazing defiantly with uncharacteristic acidity. He paused, then sighed gustily. He had thought the girl had more sense in her.

"If you're afraid right now, I'm the last person you should be talking to. "

He let the words sink in, somehow enjoying seeing the rigid look on her face and thinking himself sick for it.

"There's worse…people than you. "

She breathed out choppily, the shot interval between the word "worse" and "people" stretching on longer than the usual time she took with pauses. He was going to ignore her, but those words triggered his curiosity.

"…like who? "

"…your…brother? The one with grooves running down diagonally from his eyes…"

_Itachi._ Of course.

"When he looked at me…I felt like a …lump of meat hanging from a metal hook. "

Sasuke snorted at that.

He was pretty sure at least one of the Uchihas in patrol was listening to every single word they uttered—in for the fun if not for security's sake—and the words would be carried along till Itachi heard about it. It would be pretty hilarious to have Itachi compared with him and come off as the worse one. Would be pretty funny to see his reaction.

…_wait. But he could. _

He raised his head in sudden revelation.

The chains were gone. He was free to roam this house like he had the right to do in the first place.

He had to get out of here.

"W…what are you doing?"

Hinata was more surprised at the fact that he moved from his corner then the sudden movement he made. Unpredictable as he usually was, she really didn't expect him to move at all, considering the racket he made before. Sasuke ignored her question and instead, stormed pass her in a wide arc as if afraid to get even a step closer.

He reached the cell doors, gave the metals rungs a tug, a stronger tug, and then punched at it with another bout of curses.

_Damn Itachi—if this was his idea of a joke…_

"It's locked… your brother locked it before he left—I saw. "

Hinata informed him. He had to acknowledge her this time—it was driving him insane.

"…you don't sound terrified. "

"…should I be? "

This made him lower his head and mutter yet another string of indecipherable curses.

Hyuuga Hinata, really did not get it.

Sure, supposedly he was stuck in the middle of the biggest fuck-up of his life. Sure, he might be executed five days from now.

But this was the present. He thought he had got this insanity under control, but back in that dome, he could not suppress it. He's already almost killed her before—so why wasn't she cowering and trembling like any normal naïveté should in her position? Was she missing a vital part in her brain that tells you 'beware—this guy is a psycho'?

"Forget this. I'm already in too much shit. They can't kill me twice. "

He clamped both his hands on two metal rods and started pulling them apart. The metal groaned under the strain and then slowly gave away, crumbs from the ceiling dropping as it warped.

"…y…you're…"

"I'm going out. And you better not follow me. "

He pulled back the rods as far as it would go without having half the ceiling drop down, and slipped out. With his hands, he strained against the metal and had the gap close.

"…hey!! B…but I'm trapped in here! "

"Take care. Check out how I feel everyday. "

He halted. He shouldn't be doing this, chatting up with this naïveté girl. Miharu would probably have a fit and spread the word among the others, making him a laughingstock—who'd have known Sasuke to communicate with a Hyuuga?

"B...but!! "

"You can stop talking now. "

He ordered coldly and lowered his eyes. If he wanted to stay sane, now that he was stuck in the mansion with her, he wanted as little contact as possible.

"…I hope I don't see you for the rest of the stay. "

This was harder than he expected. For years he had been acting the bastard so why was this gnawing at his heart? This would have been miles better if the chains had remained.

'_You destroy everything you like…? '_

Well he was determined not to like this girl—if not possible, then at least pretend to.

He left.

--

**(Hyuuga residence)**

"…Neji. Oi. Neji. "

Ryuha aimlessly called for his cousin brother, but there was only silence. The Hyuuga selected sat stagnant in the sofa, his eyes boring into the whitewashed walls before him.

"Jesus. You're going to pop a hole in the wall, staring at it that long. "

Ryuha entered the living room, cradling his broken arm—courtesy of Inuzuka Kiba—and holding an innocent cup. His tone was carefully neutral as he sat down next to his tense cousin brother.

"Still thinking about Hinata? "

A seething noise.

"…I can't believe the council thought that would be a good idea. Put Hinata in the middle of a nuthouse? Are we trying to save her or kill her? "

Neji muttered as he clenched and unclenched his fist. Ryuha merely overlooked the angry tone as he took a swig from his cup. The sharp smell of booze filled the room and Neji frowned.

"Vodka?... I thought you didn't drink after battle. "

"Au contraire. It's still technically the battle period. "

Ryuha continued swigging as he bounced deeper into the sofa, ignoring the cushion that fell from the wake. His face was completely at its usual careless state, but something was amiss: the chatter and the all-knowing tranquility.

Neji looked at Ryuha as if he'd seen him for the first time.

"…what's up with you? Something's bothering you—I can tell. "

"Well…"

Ryuha grunted

"I've just discovered the Inuzuka selected loathes me. "

Neji raised an eyebrow.

"…Kiba?... I thought that would be obvious. "

"Nah. I think he actually blames me for having been elected the selected. He claims I fouled up Amano. Tainted him into being mellow and all that. "

Another casual swig. Neji's frown got darker.

"…how do you know that? "

Ryuha's lips curled up bitterly and he shrugged.

"The kid caught up with me in the dome. Had a fine time breaking my arm. About to chuck my head off when the shadow took over us—bless Shikamaru. "

Neji went slightly pale. So Ryuha cheated death this time.

That wasn't a surprise. This sort of thing happened all the time in White Nights—so why did his cousin brother look so damn glum?

"You reckon I have one year to live? "

Neji sighed gustily at the question that wasn't really a question.

"Stop kidding around Ryuha—Inuzuka won't single you out in battle. And who's to say you can't win in a fight with him? "

"It's not the fight I'm worried about. "

In the same dull detached tone, he murmured a few nonsensical phrases about Amano and selecteds and White Nights, aiming a half hearted jab at the cushion on the floor with the sole of his feet. Neji looked on worriedly at this scene. Ryuha wasn't the sort to crack. Come winter come fall, he was one guy who rarely came down with a spasm of panic attack. Or perhaps that was just misjudgment on his part.

Neji suddenly realized he did not know much about what his other family member had been through ever since he got caught up in the Hinata situation.

"….Oi. Neji. "

"Yeah. "

"I look pretty crazy right now, don't I? "

"Nah. You just smell like booze. Clean yourself before father gets back home. "

"Will do. "

Ryuha laboriously stood up and strode towards the kitchen in a surprisingly nimble gait. Neji stared about him with an odd pain in his heart, wondering whether his family wasn't really that flawless and pristine like he used to think. Granted, they weren't as fucked up as the Uchiha lot, but still.

Since when did the perfect glow die down?

"Hey, Neji—by the way. Have you seen Yurie? "

Ryuha called out from the kitchen.

"I haven't seen her at all ever since I left the hospital—y'know. Her and, that thing she had before. Shika and all. "

Neji decided Ryuha definitely must be drunk up and down to his heels if he was going around mentioning that little detail. They had all promised Yurie to not mention it ever again.

"…I don't know. I haven't seen her either. "

----

**(Uchiha residence)**

Sasuke was in an extremely bad mood.

Itachi had come around with Miharu and boarded Hinata and him up inside his room on the second floor. Obviously, the little squeal had let on to him that Sasuke had left the cell through force and abandoned Hinata—which ruined the purpose of her being here in the first place: to observe him.

Hinata was actually elated to escape the dark damp underground cell. It was less dark and damp overall, a change for the better. The only thing she wasn't too keen on the fact that she and her belongings had been dumped into the Uchiha selected's room. He looked furious, like an animal whose territory had been invaded.

That, and the freezing temperature of the Uchiha mansion.

"Stop it…'that' noise. "

"I'm cold…I…can't he…help it. "

She felt ridiculous chattering her teeth in mid-June, but the house seemed like it alone was placed in the northern hemisphere.

"Well get used to it. You might have been pampered all your life, but…"

"…pampered…?!"

She choked.

He was so…hard to deal with, the way he seemed to care for her one time, and seemed to want to hurt her in others. Actually if that was the case it might have been easier—but Sasuke didn't seem to want to hurt her, physically at least.

She doubted he cared much for her mental health.

"I wasn't pampered! "

If he wanted to call detached affection and omnipresent neglect pampering…  
"…stop…talking!!! You're going to get killed, you hear me?! "

"W…what? By who? "

"….me. Just stop… talking already. It's hard enough suppressing right now, so you can st…"

"No. "

She was surprised at how much easier it was getting to retaliate, even if it was only with words. That brief stint of experiencing absolute terror in the cell numbed her senses. In fact, it seemed like all she got from the point she arrived in Konoha were panic attacks accompanied by promises of more danger.

She was sick of it.

Sick of having to cower every single time something or somebody lashed at her.

"So why suppress it?! Go ahead, kill me! I'm a Hyuuga, aren't I?! You hate me, and you're supposed to. No tags attached…so go ahead, KILL ME!! "

As if he'd been slapped, Sasuke rose stiffly from his corner, his face in shock as he gawked at her like he would a circus freak. She stared back rebelliously, her mouth set in a straight adamant line and her small shoulders raised.

And the silence. Hinata's timid pause.

Has she gone too far? It was so easy to underestimate the power of Sasuke's anger when he wasn't knocking someone unconscious in the sand dome.

"…Sasuke?"

With an animal like roar, Sasuke flung his body, leaping across the room and landing in front of her, his arms pulled back. Hinata stiffened like a twig as she saw him materialize in front of her. This was no slow motion action flick. He was there, then he was here.

She opened her eyes, gasping, and tasted sawdust. The walls behind her was smashed, destroyed, ruined. Cracks ran up the antique wall spreads and rubble crumbled down, making her wonder despite herself, if the mansion would crumble and bury her along with the hoard of the other Uchihas and Sasuke.

He was gasping himself, but at least—he told himself with a twinge of guilt—he was conscious.

"…I warned you. " He whispered raggedly.

He pulled back to examine the damage. Blood trickled down his right fist, and the skin had flecked off both his hands. But it will cake and mend soon enough, only a matter of minutes once Haruno got her hands on them.

Now, he turned to see the damage he had done to the girl—no physical or course, since he'd made sure to aim at the walls from the start—but emotionally. He'd meant to scare her little into shutting up, but he may have gone too far.

Hinata was stricken, not seeing but easily imagining the walls behind her crumbling, replacing that image with her body.

_Cringe. _

----

"Looking for a job in razing houses? You won't even need a bulldozer, kid. "

A lanky figure with a mop of maroon hair stepped out from the dark corner of the hallway as he walked out of his ruined room. For a moment, Sasuke hoped in vain for it to be Kiba, but realized that his ex-friend would never dare call him "kid," even as a joke.

It was Amano, the 'supposed to have been' Inuzuka selected—Kiba's older brother. He looked slightly amused, but graver than he made out to be.

"…fuck off. "

"Sasuke, I'm serious. Unless you learn to control yourself, Itachi's going to egg you on—don't play it as if you don't know, because you know he will. He'd do it until you either learn to manage yourself…or you end up killing that girl. And that'll be the end of you. "

Sasuke stopped walking, his brisk angry paces stiffening, grinding into an abrupt halt. Amano stood his ground, refusing to take back his words.

"You know what I mean, kid. The Uchiha line always had the same standard selected—strong and efficient goes without saying, but the most important? Knowing how to repress yourself. "

"Coming from a guy who was cut off from the selected list for being too mellow, I doubt I'll take your words. "

Amano smiled tiredly at the acidic reply.

"I'm happier than you are Sasuke. And you know that too. "

Sasuke couldn't think of a rebuttal for that particular remark. It was so damn true.

"…just…stop…all of you. Stop getting on my case. "

He turned away furiously, muttering the words that got jumbled up in his mouth, but rang in his head over and over again in a never-ending mantra—'I'm not a murderer…"

Was he?

That day, on the sliver of land where Shikamaru's shadows held them inside. Neji had told Sasuke something that everyone has been telling him, but in a blunter way.

"_You destroy everything you love. "_

More like mangle out of self-spite turned outwards, he thought wryly. Who'd have known the Hyuuga selected to be right about him on so many levels—it wasn't even funny.

At the end of the hallway, he ran into another family member. Miharu stopped in her tracks with her mouth open into a wide 'O'.

She had been meaning to report to Itachi again about Sasuke's roaming around, but…

But she couldn't. All of a sudden.

In the short span of time she caught a glance of her brother's face, she'd seen something she thought he was never capable of. There had been two solid rivulets of tears running down on his face, his expression twisted up in a rage.

Uchiha Sasuke had been crying.

-----

**(Konoha High School)**

"…Yurie? Oi! Yurie! "

She visibly flinched when Naruto's hand grabbed her shoulder, pulling her to meet him face to face.

"…what is it? "

Naruto peered into her face for a prolonged moment, than broke into a grin.

"Nah. It's been a while since the Hyuugas attended school. I was checking if it really was you. "

Yurie smiled despite herself.

Silly Naruto. At least he could still keep his smile up.

"Say…though, what about Neji and Ryuha? I thought they'd be here if you came out…I mean… you probably must be in a shock too. From… yeah. Well. Uh…"

Naruto vigorously scratched his neck. Getting his foot into his mouth again no doubt.

Yurie started even wondering if she should have quit all the hush-hush and told Nara Shikamaru outright back in that day when they were thirteen, that she liked him, with or without Temari by his side.

No, like wasn't exactly the right word. Nor was love.

"Well…I have to get to class. See you later Naruto. "

She left him and started walking towards the back building that led to the cafeteria halls. She had no classes in that section of school, but just wanted to be alone.

"_Fair is fair. You don't need to apologize for something I deserve. "_

Nara Shikamaru and his stupid rigid rules.

But she was the truly stupid one in her opinion.

For all that's worth, she had to go and fall in love with a guy who already had a fiancée from age 10. Why couldn't she have picked someone in her own line—why a damn neutral who couldn't ever pick sides?

Besides, his actions used to drive her crazy. They never really socialized much, but ever since Shizuka committed suicide, that whole situation got blown out of proportions and left Shikamaru in the achingly damning spotlight.

Complete disregard for his physical being. Headstrong and too smart for his own damn good. Too mature for his age and too young to actually change the system. Rigid with his own set of crazy rules.

And he thought her as a bloody goody two shoes, back when he was more vocal with his thought and less cautious about hurting other's feelings.

"…shit. "

And that last feat he pulled. Playing the martyr, saving Hinata.

"……..shit. "

God forbids he dies she can tell him she loved the guy, right down to his stupid reckless stunts.

----------

**(Uchiha residence-Sasuke's room)**

She inched away immediately.

He wanted space? Fine—she would give him space.

Hinata burrowed into the corner of the room as far as she could compress her body against the dusty walls of the Uchiha mansion. After that fiasco, it seemed like their roles had changed. Now she was the one stuck in the corner, and he the one moving.

"Hey. "

That was odd. Was he speaking to her?

She kept her head down, trying to suss out whether Sasuke had someone in the room with him, or he had just gone mad and was talking to himself. Either way, he couldn't have been addressing her, not after all that—

"…here. "

He tossed something on the floor next to her, a package that landed without a noise.

So he had been addressing her.

She nodded once, and let her eyes remain downwards at the floor. She thought she'd sneak a look at what he'd brought after he left to settle at 'his' corner, but he didn't move. Instead, he moved closer.

"…I'm not going to jump at you. Turn back. "

He ordered quietly. All the fight seemed to have gone out of his body.

Hinata didn't make a move but instead peered through her bangs at the corner of the package, or now that she saw it, bundle that he had tossed at her. Taking care to not to look at his way, she silently turned her head and eyed the bundle. Her eyes widened.

He awkwardly tried to explain, cussing inwards. The world was hard enough without apologies being made. Fuck—this was the best he could come up with.

"…you said…you were cold. "

It was a blanket.

------------------

**(bloodiedsugs's words on WNSS—**

Sorry I'm late;; I'd been working nonstop for the past week… I made the chapter long though, to compensate. ^^

As much as you might be bored with the other thing and craving SasuHina (I did include more scenes! ) I'm still exploring other characters…even the OC ones. (Like Ryuha, Yurie, Amano, Lee, Miharu etc) It makes it easier for the readers to feel that they are really a part of a story and not just made up on the stop/one time use characters.

And thank you so much for the kind reviews. =) I'm glad I can make this as long as I want (lol) and I promise, I'll keep on updating as long as there is that one reviewer who says he/she wants to read more.

PS: I do read every single review, and I sometimes take advice into consideration~

Yes, I will explore the Hyuuga line more from this point on miss milady otaku ^^ (I just needed that Shikamaru/Yurie and Kiba/ Ryuha thing to get it going)

Editing is taking longer, now that the plot is leaving the starting point and entering middle ground…argh. I need a better IQ to sort this out… OTL

PPS: now we know why Yurie remained in the hospital when everyone else left.

**Bear with me**. =)


	28. Day Three

---

"_**The **__**White Nights**__** describes the few weeks around the summer solstice during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. The sun does not set until late at night, and twilight lasts much longer."**_

--

Kiba swore viciously at the freshman naïveté boy who had accidentally skidded over his feet with a skateboard. It was recess time in Konoha High, and he'd been taking a walk down at the cement patch next to the main field, which turned out to be a pothole full of eager naïveté freshmen.

The kid looked half stricken and half confused—Kiba used to be the lenient easy going upper classman, somebody who only swore for the hell of it. He leapt off the skateboard and ran off with it shoved under his armpit after mumbling a hurried apology. Kiba stared after the kid, feeling a bit lost.

He had always considered himself one of those lucky guys who could swing back into the normal mood even after a White Nights battle. But perhaps that was only due to the fact that he never really cared about the outcomes and consequences. With Shikamaru down and Sasuke's life on the line, he really did not feel much like joking around with a know-nothing naïveté.

"Kiba—Kiba!! "

A high pitched hysteric voice.

Fuck.

He groaned inwards even before recognizing the owner of the voice. He had enough problems of his own, so why was everyone bringing their shit to him? He kept on walking.

"Kiba!!...Would you just…stop! "

The hand reached out and violently pulled him back, forcing him to swivel back and grudgingly stand face to face with a tear streaked hysteric mess that was Haruno Sakura. She had forgoed even her make up.

Even he paused in shock.

"Jesus Haruno, you're a mess. "

He said that before the thought registered in his head that he was just as much a mess as she was. Touché.

"I know, and I don't care—I just… I just need to know— please! "

She grabbed onto his arm and tugged, a fresh batch of tears soaking her face.

Kiba halted before asking why and scanned the vicinity—there were just too many naivetés around to have a proper conversation about whatever was ailing her, and too many Hyuuga line spying too. Only a few minutes remained till recess was over, but he didn't exactly care for Ebisu's World History crap for now.

"Come on. "

He grabbed the blubbering Haruno selected into the more secluded hallway and up the stair cases, all the way up to the top floor where the metal doors opened to the rooftop. When he arrived, he shot off the few lumbering Inuzukas smoking on the edge and sat Sakura down on the grimy surface.

He sighed, stepping away from the cigarette smoke.

"What now? Really. "

She remained mute, dully staring into the dusty pile of litter in the corner of the floor. Kiba grunted.

"Oi, Haruno—I'm cutting class for this. Hurry up and come out with it or I'm just going to get b—"

His words were cut off by her hands suddenly manically shooting up and clawing at him.

Kiba first thought she was attacking him, but then realized she was only tugging at his shirt, practically begging.

"You vouched for him, right? Right? You did—right?! "

Her words blended into each other, she was saying them too fast. The muddled words did not register into Kiba's addled mind.

"What the hell are y—"

"I'm talking about the trial Kiba!! I know you testified—I know it!! You were one of the few in the close vicinity when that happened, when Shikamaru…you vouched for Sasuke right?! …Right?! "

She screeched into his face desperately, and the heaviness that had been plaguing him nonstop increased, weighing him down until he fell like plunging down onto the cement floor. Fuck.

Sasuke. Right.

There was a reason he'd been avoiding Sakura.

"…well? …Right? "

She wasn't screaming anymore, but her eyes were more calculating, scanning his face for proof that he didn't betray his best friend. As usual, the accused were the denying.

"…Sakura, stop. "

"…just say that you did!! Why is that so hard, just say that you did!! "

"Haruno…! "

"Just LIE goddamn you!!! "

Seeing the pained expression in the Inuzuka selected's face, Sakura gave off a long wail and started crying like a child again.

"They're going to… kill him, aren't they? …oh god, no……Kiba, why?!"

She threw back her head and screamed at him.

" You're his goddamn best friend!!!! "

Kiba would die before he could say it was a fucking Haruno breaking his heart just now.

-----

**White Nights: Summer Solstice**

**Chapter 4- Blackout**

**(Session#4–Day Three)**

-----

**(Uchiha Mansion- Sasuke's Room)**

It was a blithe Miharu who brought Hinata her meal. A blithe Miharu with shadows under her eyes and rough skin. In fact, her flippant attitude seemed forced today.

Hinata cringed and gave the small girl a wide berth, in the process, inadvertently stepping closer to Sasuke's corner. In return, "he" flinched and inched across the room with his back flat against the wall—a somewhat comical slow-footed chase.

Normally, the little Uchiha messenger would have commented on this but she stepped out of the room as soon as the dishes met the dusty floorboards of Sasuke's room. Dishes of floppy pasta and roughly packed onigiri. No drinks.

"…eat. "

Sasuke ordered tiredly, looking away as if the food repulsed him. Miharu had placed the dishes right in the middle of the room, so Hinata had to walk over from her place beside the desk. As she approached the food, she could not help but somewhat lower her head so as to not meet Sasuke's eyes. And she bet he was doing the same, except he'd be looking at the ceiling rather than the floor.

It was awkward, ever since he offered her that blanket after he exploded at her wild outrageous comments. Her craving for human interaction replaced her initial fears, but Sasuke just wouldn't give way.

"…aren't …you going to have some too? "

She asked him, even though she knew the answer.

"No. "

"It looks like you're starving on purpose…"

Sasuke gave her an odd look then, a mixture of disbelief and curiosity topped off by a thin sheet of hostility. He wanted to say something, but paused and thought it over, discarded the words, then instead said the next best thing he could think off.

"It looks like you're not afraid of me anymore. "

"…should I be? "

He made a face then.

What could he say? Whichever answer he gave her, this situation would not change. He was already sick of giving this timid yet unwavering girl gruesome warnings of how she might perish if she remained in Konoha. He could not believe this himself, but he was almost through with ordering her around.

So he remained silent as she quietly forced pasta down her throat.

As he watched her, he recalled the way she finally took her stand and bellowed into his face, her small face heated up and lavender eyes blazing. Odd. He hadn't expected her, least of all, to be the screaming type. Instead, he deduced that despite how she looked, Hyuuga Hinata had something bottled up inside her, something that overflowed once in a while.

"…can I ask you a question? "

Sasuke blinked once.

It was uncanny that she spoke to him again after his semi-perpetual silence. It almost made him curious as opposed to his usual indifference.

"What?"

"…I've always wondered…"

Hinata lowered her fork hesitantly. Everything she wanted to ask seemed like a firebrand of a topic.

"Are all the people in the Uchiha line like….you? Or is that because I'm a Hyuuga? "

Sasuke stared at her openly.

Hinata noticed and rapidly mumbled through her words:

"I…I just thought… If I had been an Uchiha naïveté, would Neji and Yurie and the others have treated me like…like that Miharu girl and the…Inuzukas do?"

Sasuke's face darkened slightly at the mention of Inuzuka, but then cleared, falling back into impassive. He approached the topic with a sensible manner.

"No. They wouldn't have liked you, but wouldn't have treated you like our Miharu did when you first arrived here. Or Kazu and Touru back at school. In fact, they'd have ignored you completely. "

Hinata paled at the thought of being ignored by Neji, Yurie and Ryuha, but not being hassled by the Uchiha line seemed like a plus. Sasuke continued his flow of logic without constraint, subtly badmouthing the Uchiha line. Who cares if Itachi heard what he said about their line.

"And since they would have ignored you, none of this naïveté entering dome shit situation would have ensued and Shikamaru would still be alive. "

Hinata balked at the bleak assessment.

"He "is" alive…!! "

"Half-dead. Comatose. Does that sound alive to you? "

"You d—…."

She was about to yell it was Sasuke that made Nara-senpai that way, but then remembered it was only to save her that he had gotten hurt. She became silent.

"So in conclusion…"

Sasuke muttered tiredly, not feeling any pleasure in making the girl in front of her tear up… yet again.

"You might have been better off being an Uchiha naïveté. Or for the better, not have been a naïveté at all. "

Hinata hated herself for it, but she was crying again. Sasuke sighed.

"Look. Let me ask a question myself. Or rather, ask you for a favor. "

"…what, to leave Konoha? "

Hinata asked sullenly, struggling to hold back the remainder of her tears. Sasuke made a face at her words and shook his head, rubbing his temple.

"Nah—I think I've given up on that. Forget that. After all, I'm wouldn't be able to s…never mind. "

He raised himself from his corner and—still remaining as far as he possibly could from Hinata—walked over to the windowpane and sat against the cool surface.

"Tell me your side of the story. I bet no one asked you. "

Hinata blinked at this. Her side of the story?

"You mean…like when I was inside the dome? "

"No. Just how you managed to end up in this dump and …just, your life in general before you came here. "

He scratched the back of his head impatiently as if he was irritated.

"Just….tell me what it was like being a real naïveté….? "

He almost sounded hopeful.

----------

"…I used to attend an all girls school, until my father's job made us move again. Father's job required us to move quite often, so I never really made …many friends. "

Hinata spoke quietly, tracing back her memories even though she had been away from her family for only a few months.

"I never really considered myself…an unhappy kid. You know, like you see on televisions and movies, mother and father fighting and yelling all the time? —No, that wasn't the case for our home. Father was a patient man, and mother…mother was very quiet. She usually talked with her eyes. My sister, Hanabi, used to say I'd grow up to be like my mother…quiet. "

She paused here—even to her this sounded boring.

But Sasuke merely nodded, waiting for her to continue.

"Mom really liked to knit from time to time, and she was great with the sewing machine. I was a clumsy kid, and even though I almost never played sports, I fell down a lot…every time I accidentally ripped my dress, she'd stitch it back to perfection for me. She even stitched me a stuffed rabbit once, and…also that handkerchief I gave you. "

Hinata recalled the blood stained piece of cloth and shivered.

"Father was never at home much. And even in the times he was at home, he didn't interact much with me or Hanabi. And he barely talked to mom. I'd sit on the kitchen table doing homework or snacking, and our entire flat was silent. Always. Mom always knitting or sewing, father reading or working. I used to hide behind the living room cabinet and eavesdrop, hoping to hear them talk to each other…I used to think they didn't talk because Hanabi or I was there. It turned out I was wrong. They just didn't communicate…period. "

Hinata was surprised at herself—she barely stuttered, and she didn't feel embarrassed.

Why was she even telling this to Sasuke?

…she didn't even care anymore.

"…at school, girls liked to bully me because I was pretty much an easy target. Or they completely ignored me. It was usually the latter because I didn't stand out much, but sometimes, they would grab me and whisper sick jokes into my ears, or throw me inside a room where a girl and a guy would be making out—just to make me blush…because I blush easily. "

Hinata paused again, suddenly feeling empty. Sasuke wasn't saying anything, but his eyes were still on her. He was still listening.

With a heavy heart, she continued.

"I didn't like the girls that did that to me…but they were the kind that knew the most about …a guy/girl relationship. Back in middle school, I was slowly getting terrified. Our family was a little bit …different from the rest of the family. No brawls or arguments….but just nothing. A blank. I almost wished for a fight between my parents, I did. So I went up to the girls one day and asked them…would it be weird if a couple should act such as my mother and father do?.... And they tell me my family is …screwed up, an odd bunch."

Hinata flushed again.

"I started crying, not because of them but because I thought it was true. I loved my family but we were not like the others. We hardly visited relatives or friends like the other families. We never took trips. We always moved. We never blended into any place we moved to. And I started to realize, those girls are right. We are… screwed up. "

"I've always wondered…"

Sasuke cut in, his tone measured carefully. Hinata hid how upset she was and nodded mutely.

"Why didn't your parents come and live in Konoha? Aside from the obvious—if they wanted acceptance, there would have been no other better place than here. Under the assumption that they had…powers. "

He studied her again, as if to appraise how unique a specimen she was.

"A Hyuuga without powers. That's a real oddity. Even people who marry naïvetés bear children with at least a hint of their powers. And last time I checked with Itachi, both your parents are of Hyuuga clan root. So it's practically a miracle that you were born... a naiveté. "

Hinata shook her head silently at him. If he did not know the answer, she didn't know. But with a thudding heart, she reminded herself that she wasn't a naïveté. Was it wise to hide this fact? Only Nara-senpai knew, and he was in a coma…

And it also made her question—did her parents ever participate in White Nights?

"Anyways, forget about that. I wanted to hear about your school…do kids fight there too? "

Sasuke was earnest in his inquiry, and it almost made Hinata laugh. Also, it made her realize he was allowing her to change the subject without having to make up excuses for herself.

"Well… they sometimes do, but not like…here. And they have…gangs, cliques. Sometimes for show, sometimes just for the friendship. Not exactly for efficiency in battle with the selecteds and all. "

Sasuke smiled cynically hearing her speak in Konoha lingo. He was satisfied. Hinata's story was depressing at best, but he had finally heard a snippet of what it was like to be a naïveté living in the outside world.

"…can't I hear your story too? "

"…mm?"

Hinata did not know how to say this without either angering Sasuke or making a fool of herself.

"I wanted to hear…your version of the story… "

Sasuke stared at her. She chickened out of her sentence and fell silent. Of course he did not want to tell her—who'd want to say that he was touched in the head and had a penchant for killing people?

He indecisively sighed.

"…I'd like to. Honestly. But I'm afraid we're being eavesdropped on. "

Hinata blanched.

"Eavesdropped on…? By who? "

"Practically everyone in this house is capable of eavesdropping on me. Not many give me much credit after I turned on my own line in the dome. "

He waved a hand up at the ceiling, indicating there were Uchihas up there listening to every single word they had to say. Hinata blushed.

"They…they heard my story? "

Looking at Hinata's reddening face, Sasuke wondered if he should have told her that particular fact before he asked her to tell her story.

"I doubt it. Not till the end at least. Uchihas have a short attention span. "

Hinata blushed again, this time in embarrassment.

So she had been a bore.

"But…I enjoyed it. "

He added quickly.

"You…?"

Hinata wanted to check if he was lying, but honestly…Sasuke wasn't the type to spare feelings. He usually just said whatever he felt like—there was no reason for him to lie.

"It's been a long time since I even talked to a naïveté is all. "

He finished, lowering himself from the window pane and setting himself down on the floor. He looked away from her, feeling rather stupid for trying to spare her feelings when it was trouble enough to be living with her.

And for what reason?

**------------**

**(Konoha Hospital-4****th**** floor)**

Yurie paced the silent hallway, resenting the airy hospital smell. She never minded before, but now it meant there was someone special to her lying on a cool white bed, with an IV attached to his arm.

No, the smell made her sick now.

Walking past Shikamaru's room for the fifteenth time, she debated on whether she should go in or not. She could never be sure when Temari would leave the room, and even then, Kankuro was usually around somewhere, ready to pick off from where she left off. Even if Temari wasn't present, Yurie wasn't sure if she could explain herself to Kankuro, who would think it quite queer that Yurie of all people should drop by so often. It was usually Neji or Ryuha, or at the very least, Sasuke who was remotely close with Shikamaru other than the Suna clan. Yurie was more of an outsider/acquaintance.

She walked past his room for the eighteenth time.

Did she dare? ….

Suddenly, the door swung open and out strode out Temari, her face completely wiped of emotions. Yurie flinched and impulsively looked back.

Their eyes met.

"…hello, Yurie. What brings you here? "

"Hey, Temari…! I was looking for Kankuro…for… well, his friend was looking for him. At school I mean…and you didn't come too. "

Yurie cringed inwards—she sounded like a garbled mess.

Did Temari know how she felt? Despite her cool demeanor, Temari had an uncanny ability of detecting even the slightest nuance in a person's actions or words. And this time, she bet she looked pretty obvious in her lies.

Despite this fact, Temari didn't bat an eye and simply replied:

"I already explained our situation to the headmaster. He did consent, though I wish Kankuro would go to school. "

Cold. Detached. Efficient.

Those were the words that always were used to describe this girl. Yurie had once thought they might be good friends once they got to know each other, but two blazingly outrageous obstacles stood in the way of their potential friendship—one being the fact that neutrals weren't allowed to choose sides, and the other being Shikamaru.

"Well…yes. Could you tell him…I mean, Kankuro, that Naruto is looking for him? …yeah. Well. "

Yurie sighed. She should have just told the truth and said she was here to visit Shikamaru. Now she couldn't even go inside, thanks to the pathetic lie she fabricated on the spot.

Temari nodded curtly and said farewell, walking briskly away. Yurie paused for a moment then wistfully eyes the closed door, then gave up and started to walk away herself.

Suddenly, Temari came running back.

"…Temari? "

"…his hand…"

"…what? "

Temari looked slightly frazzled, her watertight demeanor diminished.

"…his hand and eyes move time to time. Like a flicker. I know that's the customary response from patients in a coma, but the doctor tells me his brainwaves shows improvement and his wound is healing properly, so…so…"

She spoke in a rush, her eyes not meeting Yurie's.

"I just thought you'd like to know. "

Temari regained her poise then, and walked away without another word. Yurie stood frozen on the spot, and suddenly felt she might have been good friends with her—almost something of a sister with Temari only if she hadn't been neutral.

Only if she hadn't been Shikamaru's fiancée.

-----

**(Uchiha Residence- Sasuke's room) **

The phone was blinking and vibrating.

Hinata jerked into motion, her body moving before her eyes opened. She scrambled up to the wall where the recharger was plugged into the dusty wall and picked up the small vibrating contraption. The name blinking rapidly on the luminescent screen was Neji.

She turned back hurriedly, half expecting to see Sasuke's hard eyes on her, but surprisingly he was still asleep in the corner he placed himself in, his head slightly balanced on the nook of his right arm.

Perhaps he was faking, but even that would be pretty considerate of him since it was, 4am.

"…N…Neji? "

"Hinata, What took you so long? You didn't even pick up the last five times we called here— I was about to gatecrash. "

Neji's voice sounded way too far away, almost as if he was in some other continent instead of a few blocks away, and this fact made her almost tear up again. She regained her composure though, and spoke as quietly as possible:

"I'd been… sleeping. "

"…you've been sleeping. "

Neji repeated her words skeptically, rolling it in his mouth as if to check how lame it sounded. There are some excuses that always seem fake even when they're true. Hinata noted this with regret and spoke rapidly into the phone again:

"Well.. for the last two calls, I've been sleeping… but for the rest… I guess I'm still trying to get used to…being here. And… I think I'm getting the hang of it. "

This was true.

As ridiculous and unreal as it sounded, Hinata was slowly adjusting to the dim lighting and dusty antique atmosphere of the Uchiha mansion. Since she didn't take heart to explore anywhere other than the closest bathroom and Sasuke's room, she was finally feeling less like she was about to get lynched, even more so now that Sasuke was …a bit more hospitable.

It seemed like her blow-up at him did some good after all. At least now, they were talking.

"…used to being there…are you serious? Hinata—this 'is' Hinata, right? "

Neji seemed quite amazed. He had been expecting her to cry with every phone call, but so far, not even once. He could say he was even a little proud of her.

Hinata sensed the semi-proud semi-astonished tone of her cousin brother and giggled softly. For the first time in a long while, she felt like she had found her cousin brother from the past again, back in those days before all this blew up in her face.

"It 'is' me Neji—don't worry. I'm…fine. I really am. "

"I glad to hear that."

Neji's tone changed subtly.

"Anyways, just focus on living through the next few days, and you're out of there. Deal done with; even the council don't expect any more out of you. "

He paused there, leaving behind a somewhat sickening silence. Hinata noticed the sudden change in the mood of the call and hesitated herself.

Was something wrong?

"…Hinata? "

"Yes? "

"Don't bother putting yourself in danger. Rather…don't bother, trying to prove Uchiha's state of sanity. "

Hinata flushed in sudden rootless anger and her voice rose an octave.

"…Neji!! How could y…!!?"

"Hinata. I'm not saying this because I hate Uchiha Sasuke for what he did to Hizaki, I swear…! "

Hinata sat mute and did not answer back, he heart thudding in her ears and her eyes open wide. She was surprised at herself for being this riled up.

Meanwhile, Neji spoke up again urgently in a weary dead tone:

"Hinata—listen to me. Father brought back news from the council, and it's settled on both sides. There has to be at least one scapegoat in a situation as big as this, and everyone agrees there's only one adequate solution—Uchiha Sasuke. "

Neji's voice sounded too matter-of-fact to seem real.

"All this about you trying to prove the Uchiha's innocence—that's all for show. Whether or not Uchiha Sasuke was innocent or not, the fact remains that Shikamaru is down, one third of the younger Uchiha line is down, and that you had been brought into the dome by a certain unnamed Uchiha line. It really doesn't matter anymore who did what—the bigger picture is, that the Uchiha line is more in the wrong for this battle. "

"What…what do you mean then? I just don't do anything and… nothing happens? "

Neji grimaced and racked his brain for a better way to break it to her.

He still couldn't understand why he had to even explain the situation to her—Uchiha Sasuke was simply a leader of the opposite faction, couldn't she see that? Even more so, he couldn't understand himself for trying to explain things to her rationally when he used to think it didn't matter as long as it was the enemy's problem.

It somehow felt necessary to tell her that there was a bigger reason, that there was nothing anyone could do anymore.

"…The fact is…the Uchiha line made a mistake, and a big one at that. The battle got cancelled, we have no watcher at the moment to supervise and no watcher to follow in the former's footsteps if by chance Shika should…pass away. And a naïveté—you—were almost killed inside the dome. So…they're calling for a scapegoat, Hinata…an Uchiha scapegoat. "

He paused here, waiting for Hinata to rebut, but she said nothing.

The truth started to sink into her.

The bland words Inuzuka Amano had uttered back in the hallway about the final solution. The harsh ways Itachi and the rest were treating their selected with. The stiff yet nonchalant way Sasuke seemed to care less for her efforts to prove anything.

She really had no part in this at all. She was just for show. This whole deal of…five days of observing Sasuke, gathering evidence that he had been not himself at the dome…it all was a fraud.

If she had properly seen through what Neji had said, the gist of the situation was this: two days later, Hinata will be sent home safe and sound. Two days later, the final trial will begin, even though the verdict has already been decided on.

Two days later—Uchiha Sasuke will die?

No wonder the other Uchihas did not make much of a show to help save Sasuke—it must have been a lost cause from the start. She was stupid, indeed.

"…I really shouldn't have told you this…even most of the selecteds don't know. But I thought…you deserved to know. Yeah. So hang in there Hinata. It's all going to be oka—"

She snapped the folder shut before his sentence was over.

She wasn't angry, but her shoulders were heaving and there were buzzing noises hovering before her ears. Was she in shock? Hinata dropped the phone onto the floor and burrowed her head in her arms, ignoring the new set of vibrations the phone let off—obviously Neji must be calling back.

No, she won't pick up the phone.

Why should she if it was going to be yet another phone call trying to reassure her for all the wrong reasons. He'd probably try to tell her with unease that Sasuke's dying wasn't her fault when most of the shock and trauma she was experiencing right now came right from the fact that she was really, truly, fundamentally useless. Back to the same cycle, same routine of being the useless one, the odd one out.

She really had thought she could save him didn't she?

"Aren't you going to pick up the phone? I thought you worshipped your cousin, cutting him off like that mid-call. "

Her eyes snapped open. Her head still lowered, she blinked hard and furiously at the dark corner in which the Uchiha selected had been dozing just a few moments ago. Or had he been pretending? He was still there, but his head was up. She didn't dare look up, but she bet his eyes were open too.

Her hands started to tremble violently as another horrible truth sunk in. Uchiha Sasuke had been awake all along, probably listening to every single word she and Neji had to say.

The phone ceased to ring, and Sasuke snorted.

"Hm. It's off. You missed it. But knowing your prick of a cousin's personality, I bet he'll call again in less than five minutes. Wanna bet?"

She felt sick to the stomach. What made it worse was the light dull tone. Not exactly light, but not like he really cared.

"…di…Did you hear….no. Did you know…? Before hand …? "

Hinata mumbled, finally raising her head to meet his gaze. Even in the dark room, she spotted the two pair of the darkest coal-black eyes, staring back at her in their customary stoic fashion.

"…I knew. "

His gaze seemed to challenge her, egging her on to protest or cry at the very least. Hinata blinked back at him, completely at a loss for words. Almost anything she said at this point would only acknowledge the fact that she was either trying to comfort him or comfort herself.

"….Thank you for the blanket. It was …warm. "

A tiny tear dribbled out of the corner of her eye as she uttered the last words. She felt like she was at a pre-funeral, if such a thing existed.

And Sasuke grimaced.

This wasn't exactly the reaction he had expected. The tears, maybe, but the words? He cringed. The world would be better off without thank yous too. Polite obligatory drabble—was there anything that made his life more awkward?

"You deserved it. This house is a fucking wreck. "

He muttered, leaning against the wall as he knocked gently against the grimy surface, sending a small poof of dust flying to prove his point. His eyes flickered open and closed repeatedly.

"You don't need to thank me. "

---------

**(Konoha High School-Teacher's Lounge)**

Umino Iruka crossed his arms and sat down. The documents he had before him were driving him crazy, and he doubted Kakashi would have any better idea to deal with this dilemma in any other way than just temporary patching.

"…but even so, I guess they still entrust the job to you, Hatake san. "

He muttered as he shoved the glass of sake wretchedly onto the table, spilling some on the glass surface.

"The school cleaning lady will bitch, Iruka. "

Kakashi commented idly, even though his back was turned and there was no way he could have detected the mess—if he had been a naïveté.

"I believe we have more dire matters in hand than the opinions of a cleaning lady going through menopause…but fine. "

Iruka gathered some paper napkin and flicked them on top of the sake droplets.

"Touchy. "

Kakashi returned to his position in front of Iruka and sat down, not bothering to pick up the documents. Iruka interpreted this as Kakashi's way of resigned denial, and made a face.

"Really, Hatake 'senpai.' This is no little matter—the Uchihas are putting the life of their current selected on the line, and that's a pretty big card for them to play. "

He did not bother hiding his frazzled tone as he spoke—it was the middle of the night; the teacher's lounge was empty except for Kakashi and him.

"—not to mention that little troubling detail about Sasuke, that you surely know. "

Iruka finished, staring intensely at Kakashi as if to imply something. Kakashi shrugged.

"His insanity you mean? "

"Not sure if that's what we should call it—but yes! "

Iruka shuffled the piled papers hastily until he found the document he was looking for and shoved it right under his former senpai's nose. It had the disgruntled yet fear stricken face of a preadolescent Sasuke on the top.

"Senpai, 7 years ago, Sasuke was 180 degrees different from what he is now. The kid used to be bullied, he was deemed useless by his elders…! Can you imagine that now? "

Kakashi merely crinkled his eyes and cracked his knuckle in a casual manner. Iruka went on despite the indifferent attitude of his listener.

"Of course you can't—why? Because the kid is the goddamn selected now. And if anyone should question the elder council's decision on appointing the former bottom of the rack wimp as the selected, they'd merely pull out the documents related to Hyuuga Hizaki's reason of death and point out how young the Uchiha kid was when he did so. "

Iruka slapped his palm on the table.

"But on what basis did they make Sasuke their dear mascot boy? Insanity! That's what I want to question—are "they" mad? And all of a sudden, a naïveté girl pops out of nowhere and disrupts the battle, and we're all expected to pretend she could prove Sasuke's innocence and make everything better—hogwash, I tell you. "

"Yes, yes. I know. You told me a hundred times. "

Kakashi replied easily. Iruka shook his head again, muttering something about madness and naivetés. They spent a short moment staring heedlessly at the pile of documents before them.

Kakashi remained silent for a moment before speaking aloud:

"A lot of people like to dub Sasuke as the unprecedented wreck but they're actually wrong. "

Iruka raised an eyebrow.

"…and why are they wrong? "

"There happened to be a case exactly like Sasuke's, some time ago. One crazy fuck by the name of Uchiha Madara. "

The table rattled as Iruka lifted himself from the sofa in haste.

"…Uchiha Madara? Isn't that the name of the guy who named No Man's Land? "

"Hmm. I heard he had the touch of insanity too. "

Iruka gaped at his former senpai. This was news to him.

"The exact same case as Sasuke's….? "

Kakashi shrugged, unimpressed.

"Well, the way I see it, if you haggle on for 600 plus years, there's bound to be a repeat somewhere. "

Iruka frowned, but secretly agreed inwards.

"…how did that end up? Madara's trials? …they must have had one!"

"They did. "

"…and the results?"

Kakashi smiled, suddenly in a mood for drinking—drinking hard.

This was ridiculous. This whole notion of White Nights was ridiculous. Who'd have known a bunch of senile elders would get to decide on a fate of a young boy at their whim. Who'd have known they'd do it again, repeating history despite their teachings of how we should learn from history' mistakes.

Kakashi poured himself a glass of sake and swigged it, ignoring Iruka's impatient stare. After he was done, he shrugged again.

"It was nothing short of a miracle. "

-----------------

**(Bloodiedsugs30's words on WNSS- **

Again, I know it's been a long time since I've updated.

I'm obviously bowled over in guilt; But the plain truth it: I've hit the writer's block—hard. Everything I write seems like crap to me; seriously.

Ever since the story got more complicated (probably after Hinata got plopped into the dome) and gloomy, it's been horribly depressing writing the story. I do have the plot figured out, and since I already informed you that this will be a long story…. You know nobody would die out anytime soon, BUT still.

Just…

Thanks again for every comment you put on this story, I really appreciate it. And thank you for faving this. And… just thank you for reading =)

I'll try to update faster, I swear, as long as there's one reviewer who wants me to continue.

PS: I know this isn't the kind of SasuHina most people want. But I somehow feel they've grown more intimate despite almost no physical contact. As for Sasuke—girls, do you know how many guys are willing to sit there and listen to you garble on about your past and present? How many guys really "want" to hear you out? If you do know (because it's not like there are none), be nice to him. He's a good guy, at least in that aspect.

Bear with me)


	29. Day Four

"_**The **__**White Nights**__** describes the few weeks around the summer solstice during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. The sun does not set until late at night, and twilight lasts much longer."**_

* * *

"So you say, the watcher kid still lies in the hospital? In a coma you say? "

The Yamanaka boy attending to the voice coming from the roof seemed anxious to get away, but he could not turn from this pinnacle of madness as they called Uchiha Nahoko.

"…yes. Last time I heard, they told me he was still in a coma. "

Hinges creaked, and from the ceiling trapdoor emerged a single white hand which delicately grasped the edge of the door before flinging the rest of her body through it. For a moment, Uchiha Nahoko's body seemed to be falling helplessly. Then her leg kicked out and she landed safely on the marble floor, one of her legs cleanly through the wooden wall.

Prying her leg out of the debris, she pouted.

"Pity. There really isn't much of a man around here you know. Cowards aren't even worth my…attention. "

The boy cringed, quite glad he hasn't caught Nahoko's eyes.

Her attention, he could do without.

"Jesus… Nahoko."

There were sudden footsteps, and the two were joined by a mildly disgruntled Inuzuka.

"You really didn't have to do that to the wall. We just fixed it last week. "

Amano frowned as he examined the damage, running his fingers down the wooden mess.

"It's people like you who mangle our already crummy crumbling mansion, y'know? "

"And it's people like you who mangle our polished reputation…Amano. "

Nahoko replied icily, her eyes like dagger.

"Why are you here? I know you'd never bother visiting me. We hardly ever agree on anything. "

Amano did not disagree, trying not to let his placid self get aggravated.

"Sasuke's trial. It's in two days. "

"…and? "

"All the Uchiha line personnel are supposed to be present. "

"…and? "

Amano grimaced. Knowing Nahoko, she wouldn't think much of a brother or kin's death. He even wondered if she even cared about her own death. Probably not.

"The number admitted into the decision chamber is limited to mostly selecteds and senior members. And much as I don't want to admit, you are considered senior to my rank. "

Nahoko smirked at that.

Amano wasn't one to ever get rankled about the fact that he was always ranked lower than he could have been—but it had its downfalls. It was incredibly amusing to her that he should care less about his rank, but still have it tie him down at times. She gave him a dazzling but chilly smile, her eyes twinkling with humor.

"I never noticed. But I guess so. "

Amano did not react to the snub. Instead, he came right out with what he'd come for.

"Give me your place in the trial. "

Nahoko raised an eyebrow.

"Why should I. "

"Because you could care less about what happened. "

"Are you implying that I don't give a shit about what happens to my little brother? "

"…yes. "

At that, Nahoko's hand with the polished buffed black nails shot out and gave the Inuzuka something of a cross between a slap and a cut. Amano did not bat an eye as a tiny rivulet of blood ran down his cheek. If anything, he let her nails cut deeper into the skin than needed be. For some, sugar coated words were good enough. But for the pretty little miss who belonged more at an insane asylum than a proper home… He didn't know, but maybe blood would please her. And a straight face perhaps.

Nahoko took in all this with a cold tight smile.

"…fine. Take it, cheeky son of a bitch. "

Having gotten what he wanted, Amano relaxed and left his spot without so much as a goodbye. Watching the back of Amano's retreating maroon head, Nahoko shook her hair out calmly, a little more reserved that she made out to be.

Amano. By right, he should have been the selected, not Kiba. The current selected was fine, but lacking somewhat in his older brother's…restraint. Too vulnerable. You could just tell by the way the kid went overboard after being "betrayed" by his best friend. A true selected should learn to overlook all that.

'…all the Uchiha line personnel are supposed to be present... so they say. '

She smiled tightly again. There could be only one meaning to that.

"He had a good run anyways. "

Poor little Sasuke.

* * *

**White Nights: Summer Solstice**

**Chapter 4- Blackout**

**(Session#5–Day Four)**

* * *

**(Uchiha mansion)**

Hinata stared aimlessly through her slitted eyes at the figure with the wet matted hair and bleak eyes. She had somehow fallen asleep after bawling her eyes out, and only realized so when she opened her eyes at the creak of the door. She felt miserable for reasons unknown. Before she could catch on why, she heard the dripping noise and the sound of footsteps entering the room. She glanced up.

Sasuke had apparently had taken a shower long overdue. Droplets of water from his hair dropped onto the floor. Sunlight was pouring into the room between the cracks allowed in the shackled window. Faint smell of soap. Dust particles floated around in the room, resulting in a slightly hazy, somewhat surreal atmosphere. Hinata closed her eyes again, her head throbbing, trying to grasp the reason why she had cried herself to sleep like that.

_Sasuke is going on trial. He's going to die in two days…._remember?

…no. Tomorrow. _He's going to die tomorrow. _

He was going to die tomorrow.

The harsh truth jolted her back to reality. Her puffy eyes snapped open and she actually convulsed in fear. Her stomach clenched and she shot up and hugged herself. It wasn't her death, so why was she so caught up on this? Everything seemed so surreal, like she was watching a movie that did not seem to end.

"It's nothing. You're going to be released in less than 48 hours. "

Hinata raised her head painfully from her seat within the bulk of blankets on the floor, gaping at Sasuke, at his calm words. He continued while running both his fingers through his messy clumps of hair. The shackles tying him were gone for the moment, but the deep bruised welts were still visible.

As if he didn't notice his increased mobility, he stiffly turned and met her eyes and spoke with simple clarity:

"By right, you should be rejoicing… no?"

Again, the somewhat polite but hardened voice. Hinata rocked herself and shook her head silently. He sounded like someone who was condemning another to death, not someone who was condemned himself. Water snaked down his neck and soaked patches of his white shirt as he stood quietly, immobile, staring down at her from the furthest corner of the room.

"You should be. You're a Hyuuga. "

He emphasized the "Hyuuga" part—and that was when she stood up shakily.

They were both standing up, two still figures in the dusty sunlight filled room. From afar, Hinata heard faint voices of boys arguing—Sasuke identified them as Inuzukas, probably Touru and a random freshman kid. No Kiba.

Watching him from this spot, Hinata saw a downright acquiescence in his clenched jaws and drained features. Life didn't move further on than this point to him, and bonds made during this tiny sliver of limited time was deemed worthless. Wasn't worth the effort. The tiny rapport he built up yesterday was forgotten, at least to him. He actually seemed a little elated, like a little kid who would move to a new home, a new destination soon; and as sick as the thought made her, it was sort of true. He looked half at ease now. Homebound.

Before she could say anything, three Uchihas trailed in and locked Sasuke into his place again. The hard metallic ring of the shackles echoed in her ears, as the image of Sasuke's bruised cut wrists. His short moment of freedom, gone just like that. As soon as the deed was done, the people filed out swiftly, not bothering to make eye contact. They seemed a little afraid of their violence prone selected, worried that he might wreck havoc during their shift.

The door closed quietly after them, the room falling back into its solemn equilibrium; Sasuke chained and Hinata mute.

Again, he turned his back against the wall, pushing himself against the wall. Further away. Sat down. Looking up at the ceiling. Silent.

She suddenly could not stand it anymore. All those days she had spent before, waiting and hoping for somebody to notice, give her a hug maybe—it had been a futile attempt since her parents weren't exactly the doting caring type— but at least she had room to hope. But it seemed like Sasuke had already given up without a fight.

"…what are you doing? "

There was a hard edge of warning in his voice when she took the first step forward. It was the tone she used to be afraid of. The heated voice rose acutely in volume as more steps followed.

"Go bac—stay away! "

He barked as he inched sideways, his head jerking away from Hinata's approaching form.

His shackles did not let him move any further, and he was cornered. He would've jumped—but the shackles could give out and he might've torn the wall down, having the debris crush the frail girl. He fixed her with his harshest glare, yet she still persisted.

He was infuriated. _Idiot girl, stupid reckless girl!_

"What the hell are you trying t—"

"I just want to…"

She stepped closer.

His voice died away, losing all its ferocity the moment her arms wrapped around his sinewy body.

"…."

He tensed up in indignation at her gesture, his dark eyes darting from her feeble white arms to his bruised darker hued ones. His hands were balled up tightly into fists, hanging by his side stiffly as if to avoid more contact with the Hyuuga's skin.

Yet he was fascinated. By what, he wasn't sure of.

Meanwhile, all Hinata could think about was how slender Sasuke seemed despite the hard muscles and good build. He was solidly built, yet his frame in total wasn't that of a brawny burly man. It was more like a jaded young boy's.

"When was the last time somebody touched you like this…?"

It was a question that normally would've brought on blushes upon blushes when hearing it—but for her to actually say it herself…? It was unthinkable, bordering on ridiculous. Yet here she was, asking it to the one person she thought she never could be close or intimate with. This boy—more of a man—who could break her neck in less a time than it took him to tie his shoes.

"…you don't know what you're doing."

Sasuke muttered in a hard voice, his head lowered to shroud his widening frightened eyes. He would've liked to think that he could throw her off without hurting her, have her run away without having to resort to drastic measures—but somehow he could not do anything. He just stood there, the naïveté's cool skin against his feverish flushed one. Couldn't even lift a finger, waiting for the ordeal to pass, waiting for the girl to remember herself and run away from him in newborn fright.

He felt… something, something that he hadn't felt for the longest time. But it was in his memories, deeply ingrained from his childhood years. Really. What was it again?

Oh right. He found the right word and smiled ironically after a bitter pause.

Vulnerable.

Like someone could hurt him again.

* * *

**(No Man's Land- Edge)**

On the outskirts of town, there stretched the foreboding mass of greenery that was dubbed "No Man's Land." In the spot where Nara Shikamaru had taught Hinata of the basic rules of the Konoha community just a few weeks before sat Neji, his long legs stretched out over the tree stump. He was waiting for somebody when his phone rang. A number he didn't recognize.

He paused before warily picking up.

"…hello? "

A disgruntled yet concerned tone rang out, forgoing all pleasantries.

"Neji—you missed attendance again. It's going to look bad, if the selected himself keeps out of school like this. "

It was Ryuha, who seemed to have phoned out of worry for the missing Hyuuga selected—which was odd, since Neji had Ryuha's number…and practically the number of every friend and kin in the Hyuuga line. So it would mean he was borrowing someone else's phone…either a naïveté or…

'Amano. '

He scowled immediately when he realized he knew very well whose phone this belonged to.

"Ryuha. Don't tell me this is that Inuzuka's phone. "

There was a short tight silence, then Ryuha sighed, slightly irked.

"Bah—what do you care? Amano did nothing to aggravate you. And even he thinks what you're doing to yourself ain't right. "

"What if the phone is tapped? And why do you even listen to an Inuzuka…! "

"Forget it. I'm not going to fight with you over this."

Ryuha cut him off curtly, and continued in a more reasonable tone:

"Look, Neji. Come to school. So what if you don't feel up to acting normal? Keep up a charade, we all are, and you know it. "

Neji did not respond, his hand tightening around the small metallic device. He contemplated briefly on how ironic it was for Ryuha to chide him over for missing school when he himself missed it all the time whenever he felt like it… So it really wasn't the act of missing school that mattered. It was what it looked like to the opposite line.

The Uchiha line.

"The trial's in two days y'know. You're the main selected—it's mandatory. We've got to get together at least once before the meeting, to get all the facts right. I'll bet the Uchiha side would make a whole lot of fuss and demand something in change for Sasuke's neck. "

Neji went mute when he heard the Uchiha selected's name. Ryuha saying it so casually… it was only a day before when Hinata hung up on him for being too callous with the subject. And yet here was Ryuha, who was treating it like he liked to treat anything that he deemed petty—down to earth and indifferent. Hinata's shrill voice kept ringing in his ears, making him wonder if those Uchiha pack had anything to do with her sudden change of view—the girl used to be terrified of the guy! What had happened in that short period of time she spent in that mansion? What had happened to make her turn against her own cousin brother in favor of an enemy selected?

The questions were driving him crazy, but everyone expected him to go about his way as he always used to.

"Neji…Neji? Are you listening? Look, Shikamaru…would normally inform us on whatever formalities we'd need to go through during meetings or trials, but you very well know that it won't happen this time. Plus, the kids are running wild… There 'has' to be an authority figure around the school kiddo, and right now, all three are missing. "

True—thought Neji. Sasuke was in house arrest. Shikamaru was lying on a hospital bed in a coma. And he was out here.

"I'm sorry kid, but there are unspoken rules. Shino and Sai's just about had it trying to stop the brawls. And Naruto's not exactly an authority figure, despite him being a selected. Yesterday, some Uchiha freshman had a run-in with Shino's little brother—something about it being our fault for bringing down their selected… ridiculous. "

Neji tuned out Ryuha's voice. It was all but a dull buzz to him. Perhaps the Uchiha line did have a point—if only Hinata hadn't moved to Konoha, none of this would have happened.

And really, why did Hinata come back? And alone too, without Hanabi or at least one of her parents to accompany her. And why come back at this time, this particular point when she and her family had stayed away for so long? There was too many questions that had puzzled everyone, but now forgotten.

Why now. Why alone. Why here of all places when her parents knew how it would be for a Hyuuga naïveté …?

"Neji—Neji? Are you there…? "

"…Ryuha, listen. I'm going to be late today. "

"Wha—you're already late! Kid, you've been away for days! "

Ryuha sounded exasperated, but Neji felt like he could not waste any more precious time humoring his cousin brother. There were matters at hand that he had to settle. Questions he had wanted to ask since Hinata was sent here. Things he had not the guts to ask Hiashi. Hiashi wouldn't answer him straight anyways. Elder matters-he would say.

"I'm going to be gone for just a bit longer. Sorry. "

He clicked off and immediately removed the batteries from the contraption. He pocketed the cell phone and set off towards the Nara residence.

Of course, Shikamaru was not there, and Temari and Kankuro would be either at the hospital or the school… but the Nara elders would be there. And they were the ones who handled all transactions that went about in the village. And there would be Gaara—funny how many people assumed he was deaf and mute, only because he was crippled.

Gaara probably had a gist of what was going on—he was so quiet yet he heard everything. There was a chance he'd heard something before Hinata returned to Konoha.

He fastened his pace.

Destination—Subaku residence.

* * *

**(Konoha Hospital)**

"Damn… can't believe how down things are, even after White Nights. "

Naruto brooded while shuffling a pack of cards he had nicked from Sai. Yurie sat nearby, acknowledging the comment by turning away and becoming mute. Shino was leaning against the wall, silent for a moment before asking aloud:

"Technically, this is still White Nights. ''

Naruto flicked a card at him.

''Good point—but that's not what I meant. "

He heaved out a drastic sigh and flicked the rest of the cards over in a careless manner, leaving some to flutter down on to floor of the spotlessly clean hospital corridor.

''Trial's coming up. "

Shino commented, folding his arms carelessly over his chest. Yurie stiffened in her seat but did not voice her feelings on the matter. Naruto only frowned and replied:

"Right…the trial. Things should get a bit tipsy after that bit of shenanigan. And only one person to sort through the mess too. "

Yurie flinched at that. She forcedly rose and swiftly proceeded to walk down the corridor. She knew what he had meant by that. Her footsteps echoed down the hallway. Shino and Naruto stared at each other for a moment, the latter sighing and scratching the back of his head as if he'd made yet another faux pas—which he had.

"Shit—I'm so clueless y'know? I keep saying stupid shit to remind everyone of things they don't want to be reminded of…why am I so dumb? "

"You ain't dumb, Naruto. "

"Nah, seriously! I think I pissed Neji off too last time when I told him to … y'know. Get a grip of himself and come to classes and all. "

Shino pointedly stared at Naruto and enunciated:

"You did the right thing—you know that? "

"Bah—you're just doing that to make me feel better. "

They fell silent again after that, each rising to leave only to come back tomorrow and repeat the ordeal again after school—two hours of everyday. Two hours of just meaningless waiting. But they both knew there was someone who spent over 10 hours in the hospital, someone who—despite having a ridiculous amount of workload—had perfect attendance, both at school and the hospital.

Naruto turned back to eye the closed door once more before he entered the elevator.

'Poor Temari. '

* * *

Temari stood erect by Shikamaru's bedside, her expression ambivalent.

The sterile room was silent, a faintly medicinal scent enveloping the surface of the walls. A basket of fruits lay untouched on the side of the table, shrouded somewhat by masses and masses of wilting flowers already in a poor state. Sent from both sides of the opposing lines.

She traced her finger over the bridge of Shikamaru's nose, mutely scrutinizing the face she had known through most of her childhood and all of her teenage years. His pale face looked as if he was only in a deep sleep. Her pinkie brushed his eyelashes lightly.

She felt a dark pang when she realized he looked more peaceful now than he had ever looked when he was on duty. Then, he always had a slight tick, a small furrow in his brow or a vein pulsing on his forehead—something that made him seem slightly standoffish, unapproachable. She knew how people talked about the way Shikamaru sometimes blanked out, wiping his facial expression away as if afraid of what others may discover underneath. She knew how some people felt uncomfortable with the way he had something going on in the back of his head even as he made small talk, always balancing out the situation.

Dear Shika. He'd always been a serious boy. Too serious at times.

Despite what others assumed, he wasn't really just a 'smart nice guy'. He was truly too smart for his own good, a trait which made her recall yet another view people had of him. Something that Kiba had once aptly put into words:

''_I'm glad Shikamaru wasn't born into either of the lines…"_

"..._Why's that? "_

"_Shit, Temari—the guy's pretty much efficient in whatever he's set out to do. If he was a selected… you're his girl and all but seriously, I wouldn't want to cross him when he's set to wipe one side out…I mean, we all depend on the guy yes, but sorry—sometimes I feel like he ain't really that much of a nice guy. It feels like he's acting it all out or something… Just...doing what he's told to do because someone said so. "_

She blinked and a random tear leaked out from the corner of her eye. She'd refrained from crying too much till now but… For once Kiba had been dangerously close to the truth. Despite what people thought or said, Shikamaru was only human—he did things because that was his supposed duty. He was a very rational fair person, and mostly acted within that mold of level-headedness, even towards people…— everything except with her.

True, he did not exactly have a heart of gold. But he had been the first boy to ever approach her in a mature way, with almost an adult-like seriousness and the keenness of a child's. No other man she knew could make her feel like she was truly wanted and needed like Shika made her feel. And she could depend on him when all others failed her. Even when Gaara got mauled, even when divided alliances forced her to cut friendships with children she knew and grew up with—he was always there with the exact right words to coax her out of her misery.

And now…

'I got to get a hold of myself...'

She had to face the truth—Shika might never come back.

She owed it to him to at least not fall apart. He'd held the system up so far. Now it was her turn.

Time to face reality.

She lifted her hand from his cool skin and allowed herself a few more seconds of watching his face up close.

When she felt she was done, she sighed briefly and turned her body to walk away. But as she passed halfway through the room, something shot out from beneath and locked her to her spot. She tried to kick her legs out but it remained rooted to its spot. She tried to turn her torso but that also seemed stuck. Angry words bubbled to the surface of her mouth but she remained mute.

Her first instinct was to thrash and attack whatever that was half-strangling her with her wind, but somehow she did not. She could not.

It felt too familiar.

"…don't turn on me, Temari—shtt. Just promise you won't shout. "

She flinched at the achingly familiar—slightly raspy, but all the more welcome— voice she had missed for so long all these long nights… Nodding stiffly her consent, she felt her body regaining its mobility. Half trembling—as if too afraid to hope—she took a half measly step backwards—then swiftly turned around with her eyes screwed shut. Scrunching up her fists, she opened her eyes to find Nara Shikamaru staring drowsily up at her from his bed, a weary amused sort of anticipation in his impassive eyes.

"Miss me much…? "

* * *

**(bloodiedsugs's words on WNSS—**

My ridiculously long slump is over.

One more story on the way (Synchronicity)… and I really should get on with White Nights again… I swear I won't be gone that long this time.

Bear with me. =)


	30. Surface Light

"_**The **__**White Nights**__** describes the few weeks around the summer solstice during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. The sun does not set until late at night, and twilight lasts much longer."**_

_**

* * *

**_

"Fuck—wait. "

His hoarse voice—though small—rang through the room, reverberating in echoes only she could hear. Temari froze. Despite his warning she felt a liberating scream escaping her throat; her conscience froze her into place.

_Shika was back. _

Given his state, he was indeed a bit wasted down, the shadows under his eyes darker, and his voice raspier. It was as if he was chiseled down to his essence, like the fake cheerful veneer he'd used to mask himself had melted away. His dark eyes stood out starkly on his pale face, his manner brusque and curt.

As if sensing her blissful distress, a shadow immediately engulfed her and held her in place while he himself rose and placed a hand on her lips, grimacing at the strain in his wound.

"Not yet. "

Shikamaru muttered heavily under his breath, meaning he did not wish the others to know he was awake yet. She blinked, wanting to question him, but recalled Shika's aptitude for strategies and refrained. She stood still, waiting until the shadows influence passed away. Seeing her comply, Shikamaru leaned over and kissed her on the lips, his left hand cradling her head, his right arm limp against his side. When it was over, he lightly pulled away. She did not move except for the slight tremor that was overtaking her. With a sharp intake of breath, she slid her feet out suddenly noticing the sunlight pooling on the cool hospital floor, filling up the room and her body with warmth.

The first question he asked was practical.

"What day is it? "

"Thursday. "

She answered briskly, and quietly. There was no hugging and screaming in joy. She did not even get to say—"I'm glad you're back." He nodded grimly and continued:

"How long have I been out? "

"… about six days. "

Shikamaru threw his head back, his somber face looking up onto the monochrome ceiling. He was so still that Temari actually itched to call the resident doctor, or the nurse, or anyone who'd be able to confirm that Shikamaru was still alive and breathing, that he'd go on being alive and breathing. It was as if his grip on life was still tenuous, that she'd blink and open her eyes and find him still lying still on the bed like a broken doll, that this was just a fucked up fragment of her imagination. But it also felt like he needed time.

Another lifetime seemed to have passed before he moved again—or so it seemed to Temari. He shook his head softly, his eyes flickering humorlessly over the bandages wrapping his torso. One of his hands spread over the white gauzy tape, the veins on the back of his hand standing out, practically jumping. He scowled as he assessed the situation.

"Shit. What happened after I covered Neji? "

'You almost died.'—the words died in her throat.

"…Many things. "

"Just tell me the basics. "

Temari braced herself and collected all the data in her head. She looked back once to check the door but Shika's shadow had already locked it before she even mentioned precautions. It was just like him to do so. Cautious, serious Shika. She knew: when she turned back, he'd be staring at her in that expectant way; his somber face angled sideways, his torso hunched. He'd be that kid again with the matter-of-fact attitude and an unsmiling paradox of a face that was both extremely selfish and utterly generous.

She turned back to face him with her first genuine smile in days, her eyes brighter with the sunlight reflecting off the teary surface of her pupils.

_He was back. _

* * *

**White Nights: Summer Solstice**

**Chapter 4- Blackout**

**(Session#6–Day Four…con.)**

**

* * *

**

**(Uchiha mansion)**

Hinata shivered, and Sasuke ran both his hands through his raven clumps of hair for the umpteenth time, pulling on them as if to tear them out. A pair of lavender eyes followed his every move anxiously, and he was aware of it. It sort of drove him to the edge. The small light body resting against his side, the warmth emanating lightly, engulfing him…it was ridiculous what was happening—he thought as he pulled harder.

"Don't…! "

Hinata squeaked nervously, her eyes determined as she placed her hands confidently on his straining ones. Sasuke's first impulse was to pull away and shout vehemently—"who the fuck cares if I'm bald, I'm dying soon aren't I? " –but he held back the urge to do so. No use getting worked up when it's the last thing he wants to do. Instead, he looked away and craned his neck so that at least his head was as far away from Hinata as possible…which wasn't really that far at all. She was seated right next to him, her frail frame against the cool stone surface of the wall, the bare skin of her left arm grazing his right now and then. That was all there was to it, the thing that was driving him crazy. She was too close. Too near. It drove him up the wall, but the stupid girl would not budge.

"You survived hugging me—now will you go back to your damn corner…?"

He growled for the umpteenth time but still she remained adamant. She did not even flinch when she touched him. He realized she'd sensed whatever inside him that would not hurt the naïveté in her, probably when she hugged him. She somehow sensed his vulnerability, he deducted. Now she wasn't afraid. And because she wasn't afraid and sniveling all the time, he could actually take a step back and assess her as a proper human being without completely losing his head at her cowardliness. He could relax, possibly. But there was always an "if" wasn't there?

And that was what drove him crazy.

* * *

**(Suna Residence)**

The room was eerily quiet as usual, and Neji shifted in his seat uncomfortably. Even as he thought himself an idiot for barging in…it was already done, there was no choice but to go on. He fixed his glance at the pale figure seated in front of him, but Gaara did not open his mouth.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked you for information out of the blue. "

"Did anyone put you up to it?"

Gaara offered a thin smile that did not reach his wary eyes. The Suna clan was a risky path to pursue. But it was the only lead Neji had for now. He wasn't about to run to the elders, nor was he likely to ask the Uchiha line for help. There really wasn't much going in his mind except a panicked curiosity, but that was enough for him to push on.

Why the hell was Hinata here. Why now?

"If I divulge any information—that is, assuming I have any information that you need—I'd be breaking the neutral treaty…wouldn't I? "

Gaara's voice was measured, the two bright cerulean pupils peaking out from deep within the dark shadows that consumed his eyes. He had both his legs spread out casually in front of him, including his mangled one. His fingers tapped the surface of the lacquered table offhandedly, and each time the tip of his fingers drummed off the lacquer, particles of what could only be seen as sand shimmered around his form vibrantly. Neji considered for a moment to activate his byakugan, but shied away from that idea.

"I need to know. The elders probably knew Hinata was going to be a problem—so why allow her to return? "

"Her kin is here. "

"That's not a sufficient answer. "

"You're not asking the right questions. "

Neji paused at the straightforward comment. He wished to hell he was talking to Shikamaru instead, since at least Shika was clear about things. With Gaara, he did not know whether the kid was going to lend him information or not. His body language was completely unreadable, even to him. Granted, Gaara did not open up easily to people other than his kin and Shikamaru, but there was more to him that was slightly disturbing. Although he never mentioned it to anyone else, Neji felt it every single time he met the kid face to face—this kid was missing something. He was flawed.

He pushed back and stared obdurately into the younger boy's eyes.

"And if I ask the right questions, will you give me the answer? "

Gaara's eyes gleamed with an odd glow, his expression solemn.

"That depends entirely on you. Why do you want to know anyways? "

Why did he want to know? He grimaced. It was probably what he should have asked himself before he came, but honestly, he did not know. He just knew something had to be done.

When he spoke, his voice was heavy.

"Something's up here…something's wrong. Hinata's arrival threw everything off balance. If she had not come, Konoha would've gone on the way it was. I'm not saying there was a change for the worst or the best, but by coming here, she managed to cancel White Nights, drive one selected into madness and death, and the other into a coma—practically the equivalent of death. None of it was truly her fault, but I say, the elders should've seen this coming. "

After hearing the summary of these past weeks, Gaara raised his left eye silently and shrugged.

"You could rephrase that last sentence. "

"Hmm? "

"You're not putting much thought into this are you? Think backwards. Who said the elders did not think this over? "

Gaara almost mockingly raised his brow, his cool eyes unreadable. Neji paused and forced himself to comply with the somewhat degrading tone of the dome keeper.

"…The elders did see it coming, but still they allowed her to return? "

Gaara shrugged at the words.

"I didn't say anything. It was all you. "

Neji felt like chucking the table at the boy's stoic impenetrable face.

"But why? "

A well executed pause. The room felt overly stuffy and dense—Neji wondered how the kid managed to stayed holed up in this mansion every single day. Unlike his siblings, he did not attend school, nor did he associate much with anyone. He remained in his quarters, almost melting away into the background—thus was the fate of a dome keeper.

But that was how he accumulated facts no one actually meant to tell him.

At times it almost felt like he was invisible, a part of the furniture with assets. Looking over at the Hyuuga selected, always in the light, Gaara felt almost an obligatory urge to show them, show whoever they were that made him so: he could talk.

"There was a time before when something like this happened in Konoha. "

Gaara began mildly. Neji perked up at this.

"During one of the former White Nights battle, there were talks of undercover experiments gone wrong, of genetic manipulations... that didn't quite pan out the way they were supposed to. "

Genetic manipulation? Experiments?

Overlooking the Hyuuga selected's outraged expression, Gaara absent mindedly drew a huge circle and tapped the middle-west ground, indicating the Uchiha residence. He sliced through the circle—

"The elders collaborated and decided to rid of the seed that had a genetic flaw—which was a pity some said because despite the flaws, the results of the experiment were far beyond what the elders had hoped for. But once the experiments were discovered, there was no way to stop the council from holding a trial, one to determine the fate of the test subject. "

Gaara spoke entirely from memory, from scraps and overheard conversations he had picked up during his long hours cooped up in the mansion. The Suna residence had a certain aura of gloom surrounding its premises, but it was indeed a breeding ground for interchanging information. No one had exactly spoken from beginning to end, but he learned to pick out the main points and summarize key data, one of the supposedly useless skills he picked up from hanging around with Shikamaru. And he had lots of time to organize all this into an explanable, easily understandable form.

Neji got the facts down quickly enough. It was easy to follow, despite it all being news to him. But he could not see why it had anything to do with…

"The test subject was accused of insanity. He was portrayed as a potential danger to society, and once the elders got hold of him making a "mistake"—they took that as an excuse to drag him down to trial. "

Neji blinked.

Now that sounded familiar.

"…what was the mistake…? "

"I doubt any of the newer generations apart from me and Shikamaru knows…even among the generation before us there are barely anyone who knows I've heard."

Gaara smiled grimly, one of his smiles that never reached his eyes. Apparently, he did not think it an honor to have access to knowledge not many knew. He probably thought it a burden, like the sand manipulating gene that had forced to become the next dome keeper.

"It was basically a Romeo and Juliet thing. The test subject got in a relationship with a girl of an opposite line—Hyuuga— from a prominent family. Might have been alright except that there was an abortion and both lines went ballistic thinking of what might have happened if the kid had been born. "

Neji straightened up, and Gaara continued.

"The elders held trial for the test subject, and pressured the Hyuuga girl from Konoha to marry one of her kin and live on under the promise that she'd seal her powers and not use them. "

"What happened? …"

Gaara himself did not move but a flicker of sand was tossed on to the floor nearby.

"From what I'd heard, the girl helped the test subject escape—they escaped through No Man's Land. By the time the elders caught on to what happened, the test subject was already gone, nowhere to be found. And the girl and even her family were banished from Konoha, never to return. That is, until the elders thought it necessary to bring them back into the fold for whatever the reason. Could be, that they're resuming whatever experiments they had in mind in the first place. Could be that they're just being nice by accepting back bad blood. But in any case, that Hyuuga girl hadn't been able to enter Konoha for a long long time. "

Neji blanched.

"Are you saying—"

"I'd bet that girl was one of Hinata's ancestors. "

"And the test subject—"

"Disappeared. But we do have a saying around the house, that he left a portion of himself behind, that he was in another relationship apart from one with the Hyuuga girl."

Neji had fully stood up, his tall frame filling up the oppressive room. Instead of being just incredulous, a thoughtful yet undeniably angry look entered his face.

"And…you're saying that left behind portion was Sasuke?..."

Gaara looked up at the Hyuuga selected and shrugged.

"Some even said Sasuke was a legacy. A legacy left centuries ago by a madman. "

He tapped the surface of the table once more.

"A madman by the name of Uchiha Madara. "

* * *

**(Konoha High)**

"Oi. Trial's coming up. Better get ready. "

"Cutting the last period aren't we? "

Naruto shoved his hands inside the pocket of his jeans and leapt down the school building, and Sai followed suit. Neji would flip if he saw, but then again, Neji wasn't around much anymore. Landing with a loud crunch on the asphalt, they proceeded to walk back to the entrance of the school where they'd promised to meet up with Shino and Ryuha.

"You think Hinata's alright? "

Naruto wondered aloud, his normally merry face scrunched with uncharacteristic concern.

"Last time I heard, Neji was furious—he was talking about Uchiha messing up Hinata's brains…"

"He's been real uptight nowadays. Well no wonder, but still. "

Sai glanced at the direction of the school, a place that was supposed to convey a sense of relief that in there, at least some sort of law ruled the place, that things could not go that wrong if you abided by the rules. Things had certainly changed indeed—it's been two weeks since they'd held a proper student council meeting. It was a given since the prominent members were missing.

"Wonder where he's at though, it's getting late. "

Meanwhile, Naruto scratched his head and groaned inward. He liked Hinata well enough—she was a nice girl and Neji's cousin and all, but sometimes he wondered how his sophomore year would've gone if Hinata had stayed out of the picture. An all-around guy by nature, he felt somewhat disgusted at having to think so, but every time his thought swiveled to Neji's dark expression and Temari's silent endurance, he couldn't help but contemplate a Konoha without Hinata.

It would've been much easier if she wasn't a naïveté. It would have been easier if he could be sure that she was one of them, one of the Hyuuga line. But although she had the appearance of a Hyuuga, she lacked everything else, and that was what made him wonder, what was the dividing line between a Hyuuga naïveté and just a plain naïveté?

Was there even one?

"It's time. Let's hurry up. "

Ryuha greeted them with a hollow voice, his body fused with impatience. Shino flanked Ryuha and the four of them walked towards the more secluded area of the school grounds where they could possibly flit off without being noticed. They were walking by the school gates when they sensed something flit by the main road, a gush of wind rushing to the opposite direction of the court where the trial would be held.

Neji.

"Where the fuck is he going? "

* * *

**(Konoha Hospital)**

"Shika. I'm the only person who knows you well enough to say this. "

"Go on. "

Shikamaru replied blithely, toying with the fruit cup on the food tray Temari had filched for him, examining the contents. She watched him pick at the tray silently for a moment.

"I'm waiting. "

"You hate the Uchihas. You certainly don't show it, but I know you loathe them. "

"…Temari. "

It all gushed out before she could check herself. Shikamaru chucked the fruit cup and its contents behind his back as he turned towards his fiancée. It landed in the wastebasket with a wet squelch. Temari frowned and continued, ignoring his mock-earnest expression.

"…But you saved Hinata from Sasuke. "

"…yeah. I did. And did you know? Urban myths are true—hospital food is indeed the bottom of the rack. I can't believe they managed to mess up fr…"

"Shika! "

She shrieked at him. She was genuinely angry this time, not because of his fooling around, but because he didn't seem to care whether there had been a reason behind him almost getting killed. She could not believe he was joking merrily on the hospital bed in which he had been lying immobile, in a coma, just a few hours ago. She could not believe he didn't see how worried she had been, despite the bravado she had shown the others. Seeing the expression on her face, the mock cheeriness subsided from his face, replaced by his more familiar impassive look. If there was something else, it was the darker, less detached glow in his eyes.

"It's an explanation you want, isn't it? "

He asked. She nodded silently, almost overcome by the tears that had been threatening to show since the first time she heard he was awake.

Shikamaru stretched his neck and smiled bitterly.

"If Hinata had died…"

He began quietly.

"Sasuke would be immediately bound for death parole, because he broke the rule. And without the main selected, the Uchiha's position in their line would have declined, which gives way to extra harassment and less influence over the community. "

Temari nodded.

"…yes, but you saved Hinata, forgoing the chance to take a blow against the Uchihas without showing your true feelings. No one would have blamed you in that situation—you could barely move. Now, I don't want Hinata to be killed. It would be best if no one was killed. But it was either you or her. By pulling this off, you threw away a perfect change as well as… risked your life. "

Her expression got darker as she reached the end.

"Please explain why. "

He was silent this time, staring blankly at the white walls before him. Temari observed him with a heavier heart.

"…I thought I knew you. "

She murmured. His head turned back to face hers.

"You do. "

He replied briskly, smiling again. His blithe wishy-washy attitude infuriated her somewhat. She stood up briskly, forgetting briefly about her joy in his being back, and was about to walk out of the room when she heard him state plainly:

"…Temari. Hinata's not a naïveté. "

A shocked look briefly crossed her face, and she stopped in her tracks.

"She's not...?"

"She could move through my shadows."

She rapidly walked back to his side, shocked.

"—isn't that just a mistake, I thought your shadows perhaps didn't cover the entire area…"

"Plausible. But she sensed Sasuke and Neji's movement from a mile away. "

Temari paled.

"…what? "

"Meaning, I don't know how, but she's not completely lacking of powers. "

A queer silence overtook the room as Shikamaru gave Temari time to mull over the newly acquired information. Her face underwent a change as she realized what he'd been doing.

"…if Sasuke had killed Hinata… and it was later found out that she wasn't a true naïveté…"

She began slowly. Shikamaru continued from there with a dull matter-of-fact voice:

"It would mean the Uchihas had killed their selected for nothing, since there's no rule stating that an Uchiha cannot kill a Hyuuga, especially during White Nights. They'd probably ask for the same deal to be done with the Hyuuga selected. "

"—and Neji would be killed…"

"And a war would start. Then where do you think we would be? "

Temari went mute, shaking her head. The annual White Nights battle was the only thing that kept the two forces from war. The only thing that kept the chaos in check. If something as big as this occurred, war would be inevitable, and life could possibly become a living hell for the neutral line—they would be forced to take a side or…

"Temari. I thought you trusted me. "

Shikamaru commented mildly.

"I was trying to buy time. Granted, I went a bit overboard, but in that state with Sasuke in a fit—that was a best choice I had, strategically. "

He pointedly stared at her, refusing to break her gaze. The dark glint in his eyes matched with her memory of his younger days, especially the first time she met him. She had envied Shizuka that day, for dominating Shikamaru's attention. And he hadn't allowed any space for her to intrude in the sibling bond—it was only him and Shizuka.

In a way, he hasn't changed that much.

"I do. "

"Well great. "

He stretched and grimaced at the bandages. Crossing his arms in his customary pose, he positioned himself on the bed, his bland smile contrasting with his too serious words:

"Then believe me when I say I have a small capacity. "

"…capacity? "

She murmured back in bewilderment. He grinned up at the ceiling, muttering something about bad word choices and fucking metaphors.

"We still have shit to do, so I'll make it brief: My affections can reach only one person at a time. I'm too lazy to do otherwise. "

Temari blinked at her fiancée, who seemed to enjoy her baffled expression.

"What do you mean by that? "

"…nothing much. "

He flicked his fingers as if to wave away the words.

"Just that the one person my affections lie with happens to be you. "

His hand reached out and cupped her face.

"And that I'm not gonna leave you anytime soon. "

Temari froze again, and slumped down by his bedside with a silly grin that did not suit her normal range of facial expressions. He was really too serious sometimes. He always was, even as a kid. It was sweet in a way, a relief that he hadn't changed that much in a sense. Serious, sensible, too smart for his own damn good Shika. It was nice to have him back. The world made a slight bit more sense with him in it, walking about with the mild lazy gait of his.

"Temari—I need to talk to you! …Shit, why did you lock the door? "

They jumped. Neji?

Shikamaru and Temari froze at the sound of the Hyuuga selected's voice. Luckily enough, he seemed too agitated to sense the second presence inside the room. In anycase, the door was in danger of being broken down, a brute display of force that was surely to get Neji into trouble, especially when displayed outside in public area...but he didn't seem to care for now. Temari found her voice and responded sharply:

"What are you doing here Neji—your presence is required in the trial roo—"

""Your" presence is required too Temari, in case you haven't noticed. There's something I need to ask of y—"

"Neji. "

Even her warning tone did not do it.

"I'm going to break the door down Temari—just tell me what the fuck is going on with the elders—don't we deserve to know? "

Temari paused and quickly took a questioning glance at Shikamaru. Deserve to know what? What was Neji going on about…?

"Temari stand back. "

Shikamaru ordered quietly, raising his hand. Before she could protest, his shadow shot out and flicked open the hospital door, leaving a baffled Neji to stumble into the room, his eyes widening at the sight of the watcher sitting up on the bed, his dark eyes trained on him.

He smiled at the Hyuuga selected.

"Can you keep a secret? Neji. "

* * *

**(Bloodiedsug's words on WNSS-**

Wow it's been long;… I'm really sorry about that. I've been caught up on college…and finally it's winter break so I have some time to relax and catch up on writing and my other hobbies.

So sorry I'm rushing through the plot line…

I had this sort of thought out, but not perfectly. Darn. I'll try to smooth it out.

PS: I'm also rewriting Deathplay: the Royal Scandals... it's more of fixing rather than rewriting. But read it again if you haven't read it in a long time. It'll be a better read I swear...well; that is, up to the point I've fixed it, that is.

Bear with me.)


	31. Desperate Measures

"_**The **__**White Nights**__** describes the few weeks around the summer solstice during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. The sun does not set until late at night, and twilight lasts much longer."**_

* * *

"I can't contact Neji—his phone won't let me through, and I haven't sensed him in a million years!"

Naruto spat this out in a hurry, delivering the futile news to both Sai and Ryuha. Ryuha cursed softly and checked the time. The trial would be up soon, and they'd have to pick Hinata up from the Uchiha line. No doubt she'd be a mess, after spending days holed up in that mansion, and for a stupid reason to boot.

But he reckoned Neji would be the first one out to meet her, eager to rescue her from the hovel. The guy wasn't even present. It was a mystery.

"Sai, you tried too?"

Sai shook his head, flipping out his unbelievably old fashioned cell phone.

"I apologize. He didn't return my calls. "

Normally, Ryuha would have dubbed that a gay innuendo and teased Sai for being able to say that with a straight face—…but this was serious. Neji wasn't even at school today, three times in a row this week.

"Man, this is going to look bad in the records."

Naruto commented, turning his worried eyes towards the sky. He really had faith in Neji for the most part, but he needed proof the Hyuuga selected had faith in his subordinates. Why would he run off somewhere and not tell one person within his line of confidence? Not so much betrayal, but…come on.

"I'll take off for now. Contact me if there's an update."

Waving merrily at Sai and Ryuha, Naruto flitted towards his apartment.

Neji was a friend, something of a brother. They had fun at school. At least with Sai and Shino and Neji, they had fun.

He stopped directly in front of a shabby door, his humble abode, his home. He had almost no relatives—the Uzumaki line consisted of very few men and women. He'd lost both his parents at White Nights, one after the other.

"Any news?"

Now his uncle, twice removed, took care of him—someone who barely resembled him, but at least, cooked his food.

"No… Neji's still missing."

"He is? That is…odd indeed. I never saw a reckless streak in that child. Maybe I thought wrong."

Uzumaki Ishiro placed a pot of stew on the table. Seeing Naruto's exhausted face, he frowned.

"Cheer up kid. There's no use brooding over anything now. There's really no use in that, and you know it."

Uncle Ishiro ladled the stew into a smaller bowl and placed it in front of Naruto.

"Whatever happens, happens. If the council decides to kill of that Uchiha selected, they will. If Neji deviates from the pack, so be it. If the poor keeper kid dies, so he dies. Damn it Naruto…"

He flicked the ladle on the table, splattering stew.

"You're different, okay? Forget being smart and strong—it gets you nowhere. Look at what happened to your parents. Look at what happened to the Uchiha and the Nara kid. No use. You'd gain nothing from being a smart-aleck"

He slapped his palm on the table for emphasis, and Naruto raised a dull eye to his guardian.

"But when you're a clown, an easy going nobody—no one gives shit. And "that" is how you survive. "

He pushed the bowl towards Naruto with gusto and added with a bitter chuckle:

"We all have our desperate measures you know. No use pretending to be what you're not, no use at all…"

* * *

**White Nights: Summer Solstice**

**Chapter 4- Blackout**

**(Session#7–Desperate Measures)**

* * *

A carefully lined towel adeptly blocked out the sound from within the sterilized room. And Shikamaru sat in the center of it, explaining his position to a baffled Neji.

"The elders would be thinking there hardly would be any intervention from us neutrals at this moment, because technically, I'm a vegetable."

He held up a finger with an ironic smile.

"If the elders do not know I'm awake, they're allowed to make decisions without having to go through the neutral side, which means it would be easier to have things their way. We'll throw them off track later. We have to use this to our advantage. "

He held up a second finger, assuming a more serious demeanor.

"Because I was unconscious the entire time, I can only rely the on the words of others to assess the situation. This also means the elders can feed me either the truth or complete bullshit, according to their advantages. "

He pulled himself up, propping his body against the hospital bed. Neji stood awkwardly near the doorway, unbelievably eyeing Temari who somehow seemed to blocking exit. She returned the uneasy look, but did not let down her stance. One move to the door, one moment of flitting, and in that slight moment he'd have to halt to open the door unless he meant to break it down: she'll hold him down with force.

Funny thing. He thought he'd never be up against Temari. There never was much an occasion he clashed, and only with words that is. Strength? Maybe, but he was not entirely sure he'd win with speed.

"One thing Konoha has done extremely well—for the most part that is—is their taste for selecteds. "

Shikamaru continued, his eyes crinkling.

"Neji—this is not a matter of taking sides. I trust you. If it had been you and Sasuke was standing here, I'd have done the same…except, he would take a bit more coddling than you. You guys are level headed—for the most part. "

He eased his body off the bed, and Temari opened her mouth in protest. Neji's face was growing darker by the second.

"I think I know what you want me to do. Shut up about you being awake until the trial so you can crash it and save the Uchiha's ass."

"You got the gist of it."

Shikamaru raised both his hands in act of predetermined thinking, and indicated his part in the brainwork was over. He wasn't going to change his mind. Temari rested her hand on the handle of the door, rechecking its sturdiness. She observed Neji's lowered head, and wondered if there ever was an end to negotiating. With neutrals it was all negotiating, no fight, and no clashing as long as they came up with a fine solution.

Pity that no one ever told them beforehand, that not all negotiations were fair. What was the right choice—compassion for the individual, or the good for all? She met eyes with Shika and he shook his head. Latter. Always, the fucking latter.

"Why do you assume I'd do it…?"

Neji wrung out the question, almost ready to burst out the window and shout out to the world. Temari tried to convince him:

"Neji, think about it. If Sasuke dies, there's no one to replace him."

"There's always tons, of Uchiha crawling around Konoha! "

"Don't."

Shikamaru repeated the words, standing face to face with Neji.

"Don't. Don't lose it. You think anyone else is up for the job? Nahoko? Too psycho. Miharu? Too young—she doesn't even realize what's up ahead down her road. Itachi? He was the former selected. He's washed himself of doing the dirty work. He wouldn't want to come back to being the pawn. And of course, according to centuries of practice, an Inuzuka cannot be the main selected—it has to be an Uchiha. "

"So that rules out Kiba."

Temari added, her lips set in a line.

"Basically, if Sasuke dies, the Uchiha line would be forced to place the strongest as the selected—never mind if he/she is crazy or level headed—and nothing will go right on that end."

"…"

"Neji, "

"No."

"Even if I intervene, there's no guarantee Sasuke will live. ""

"…"

"He deserves a break, even if it's a very small one."

Neji flipped his head up. Shikamaru shrugged and spoke:

"You really think he'd be better off alive? That kid hated living so much he attempted twice to top himself. That was when he was twelve. Never succeeded though. And never tried after being made the selected."

He stretched his hand towards the Hyuuga selected in a childish gesture of a promise.

"Please."

* * *

But Sasuke wasn't thinking of intervention.

He was flipping over the sudden boldness Hinata overtook after the initial hug. She was treating him much like a teddy bear she'd lost in her childhood, and it threw him off like nothing.

"You're just not taking me seriously aren't you? What made you change your mind? "

He spoke to the figure that was bundled up beside him, pressing into his back. Hinata ignored his protests and went silent, almost as if she did not notice his dark mood. She merely fingered a musty old book she'd found in the book self, wondering if anyone read in this household. She remained mute.

Sasuke's annoyance was building up, first at being ignored, and second at the unbelievable nerve of this girl who didn't seem to bat an eye anymore at his threats. Though, to be honest, he really did not have any intention to hurt her—that was the whole fucking point; it was a meaningless threat, meant to scare her into being a bit more careful…

Hinata snuck a look at Sasuke's face. He was staring at her intensely, and even to her, it was obvious he was chagrined.

"What?"

He asked with a defiant scowl. Without an answer, she turned her head away, taking no notice of the fact that she'd been completely ignoring his words.

It was here that Sasuke's snapped.

His eyes blazed red—a small spark of fear flickered in her mind even though she'd told herself time and again to believe—and he put his fist through the crumbly but sturdy stone wall. They both heard some commotion up in the living quarters; Uchiha personnel obviously alarmed at Sasuke's sudden act. He'd been living low for so long, it seemed most of them had slightly forgotten; if he really meant to, no wall could keep him chained.

Hinata stood still, and still remained in her spot, her crouched form stone-like, waiting for the blow, or…something, but nothing came down upon her. She cracked open an eye to find the Uchiha selected looking down at her decidedly with a disgusted and slightly ashamed look on his face. His left fist was crusted with fast drying blood and rubble.

"You can."

"What?"

"You can control it! "

She jumped up and whipped around to face him, her huge lavender eyes drawn bigger by the knowledge. Sasuke shook his head lightly in attempt to understand what even the girl was talking about. Eyes narrowed, he sarcastically spat out:

"I can control what?"

"I thought you … you went...you became different when you got mad, like at the forest... But you didn't! Isn't that proof enough…?"

It took a second and more for the thought to completely register in his head. Once it did, Sasuke flipped.

"Are you for real? Did you actually 'try' to make me mad?"

"Well I…"

Sasuke rammed his dirty fist down onto the dusty floor.

"Did you even hear a word I said? You could die! "

To his immense surprise, Hinata didn't cower at his shouting.

"Well if you were as crazy as they all say, you wouldn't give a damn if I died!"

She shot back at him without any of her customary stuttering, flopping down right in front of him causing him to flinch and look up. It's been too long since he was looking up at somebody like that and ironically enough, it was to Hinata. Her hands cupped his dubious face with apparent joy. She ignored the shocked look that flared up in his face.

"I…I've been thinking. You're pretty scary. And stuck up… and, you're… sometimes rude too."

If he was listening, Miharu would be slapping her thighs and convulsing with justified laughter—was he being openly chastised by Hyuuga Hinata? Sasuke disbelievingly gaped at Hinata's sweet face—just inches away from his—coming out with a whole lot of insults. And she didn't even seem to realize she was doing so.

This was a first—a first he didn't even suspect he'd ever come face to face with.

"…But most importantly, you saved my life. Not once, not twice but… loads of times."

Her hands…

This was ridiculous. Girls just didn't do this. Even in their most heightened moment of adoration, girls didn't grasp his face and treat him like a baby hero incarnate: they knew better. Even Sakura never tried. Hinata's face was close enough for him to kiss had he had the mentality to stretch his neck upwards.

"You actually never meant to hurt me didn't you? … This is …not just an act to get out of trouble—you actually mean well?"

He wanted yell—"Well high time you realized that, are you stupid? "—but refrained, feeling more and more uncomfortable with the small delicate hands that held up his face towards hers.

"Please, I want to help. Can I …? What would make them not…do anything to you?"

All his thoughts halted at that moment, with the echo of his indignant resignation ebbing away.

Couldn't she leave him be? It was lost before they tried and he knew it. He didn't need another fucking futile seed of hope in his barren field of nothing.

"Too late."

A tall brilliantly clad woman stood near the doorway, her willowy form gracing the dusty floor with poise. Her lips curled upwards as she examined the mousy Hyuuga naïveté and her beloved, idiotic wretch of a brother. Falling for a Hyuuga and a naïveté at that. Stupid. Sasuke's face turned to stone at her gorgeous smile. Hinata blinked.

"How have you been, little brother? Ready for the trial?"

Uchiha Nahoko waved the two Inuzukas who'd been flanking her into the room, ushering them on with a perpetual sardonic smile frozen on her lovely face, checking Hinata for any sign that might make the girl interesting to her.

She found none.

Hinata figured out after a confused second, that they were here to take Sasuke away to court—and maybe to his death.

"Wait…! Couldn't you give us just a bit more time…?"

Hinata pressed on even though she was terrified somehow by the beautiful Uchiha woman that stood in front of her. There was something…off, about this particular Uchiha girl.

"You had 5 days. How 'do' you find it in your heart to beg for more time? I should think for one, Hyuuga girl, that that's quite wrong of you. "

"But…it's for your kin! …"

Sasuke grimaced. That was a mistake. Nahoko wasn't much known for being a merciful angel, although she did look the part. She was a heartless bitch if he'd ever known one.

Nahoko smiled at that, a patronizing leer blooming on her face.

"Kin…true. Little Sasuke is indeed my kin."

Brushing Hinata aside, Nahoko went up to Sasuke and crouched down. His arms taken by the two Inuzukas, Sasuke glowered into his older sister's eyes with distaste. '_You might fool some with that pretty face of yours, but don't expect me to fall for that_'.' Her face glowed with another brilliant smile as if she'd read his mind. Desperate angry boys were always, always fun to toy with.

Too bad her favorite one had been mauled.

"I heard Sasuke, that you've hurt Nara Shikamaru quite bad. "

He would've retorted at any insult, but this, he could not reply to.

"So bad that he might never wake up?"

"…"

Nahoko's delicate hand clasped Sasuke's chin and jerked it up, her nails digging into skin. She smiled, a tic on her face indicating some sort of disturbance under her pretty mask.

"Sweetie. That's my right."

Sasuke stared her down with some shock—was she still hung over that? He thought Nahoko's interest in Shikamaru had abated away after his sister died. Shikamaru had turned incredibly headstrong after that incident, so over the top that for some time, not even the elders could control his antics. Nahoko had dropped him promptly like a hot potato after she assessed the situation. Without Shizuka, Shikamaru could not be made willfully a toy. So Sasuke had figured Nahoko's crazy obsession was over.

Apparently, he was wrong.

"But I decided to forgive you, Sasuke, for doing that. Cuz it seems you're already getting paid back. "

Nahoko crudely made a sign as if to honor the heavens, keeping up the mocking tone.

"Bless the gods?"

Hinata could not believe the poisonous words Sasuke's own sister was spewing out, more so because she was keeping up a sweetly blank face all along. She had hard time swallowing the fact that this was Sasuke's very own sister. This was not even spite. There was something a little more odd, a little disturbing. Sasuke seemed perfectly at ease with the rancor though, as if this was nothing new.

When baiting him did not seem to work, Nahoko took an uninterested look at Hinata, sizing up the situation. She faced Sasuke again, her hand never leaving his face. Her voice had a steely edge to it now.

"There are rules in this house, Sasuke, and you've broken many of them, as you're probably aware of."

She jerked his face towards Hinata, who looked as if her legs might buckle.

"And there's the epitome of your absurdity. Do you, or do you not understand family values? God knows our bore of a brother Itachi had drilled that into you ever since you became remotely useful to the Uchiha line. Now you've even lost you little friend's confidence, and you do know I'm talking about that dogheaded Inuzuka boy. Was that little naivete whore worth, the whole trouble?"

Even the Inuzukas seemed a little uneasy now. But Nahoko relished the drama.

"You and your stupid, fucking, mistakes. But it's alright honey. I bet the elders will take as much out of this fiasco as they could, you being the main selected and all."

She gave a flighty little shrug, and smiled for the final time.

"It's been a good run Sasuke, sweetheart."

With those words, she twisted right and pushed her face inwards, kissing Sasuke's chapped lips. She bit him, drawing blood.

And Hinata dropped to the floor.

* * *

"We can't say that, not yet."

Shikamaru finalized the point, after some thought. He did not bother to note Neji reeling at the fact that Hinata, in fact, was not really a naivete anymore. It was worse than he'd expected-now there was no way the elders would send her away to some safe corner of the world, away from all this.

"We can't expose the fact that Hinata's not a naivete to the elders yet. It will only make them think back. Too dangerous. For her own good, she has to stay clammed up."

Temari met eyes with Shikamaru, both grimacing, recalling the tales of the past that they'd accidentally come to find. They'd hoped to find an alternative, but the closer the whole scenario got to being the duplicate of what happened decades ago, the easier it got for them to get the full picture of what to come. They prefered the unpredictable future to a very predictable chaos.

"Then the only choice we've got, is to say I saw the whole thing, that Sasuke wasn't right at the time, he had no intentions...and that I'm alive."

"But won't they say you've been bribed. They might think you're taking sides Shika."

Neji, who had been silent for some time spoke, his eyes on the floor. Shikamaru shrugged, letting Temari apply pressure to the IV wound on his arm.

"All plans have some risk factor. I'll take it this time. This is preferable to having Nahoko or Itachi reign once more."

Neji opened his mouth to protest, but halted when his phone started to vibrate noisily. He'd ignored it for the past few hours-he couldn't anymore. Temari and Shikamaru promptly fell silent as he took the call.

It was Ryuha.

"Neji, it's time."

"What...?"

"The trial. We'll look the other way with you not coming to school, but this is mandatory. Come. Now."

"Wait-what about Hinata?"

"We'll all meet you there."

Shit-had he forgotten about ... he checked the screen to find out he was thirty minutes late for picking up Hinata from the Uchiha mansion. Swearing under his breath, he met Shikamaru's glance with a repressed sigh.

"Trial's up. You guys get ready too. I'll see you there."

It almost sounded as if they were all supposed to meet up for some coffee, or a movie. It was strange that nothing they ever did corresponded to something normal and easy, something like, say, a movie. It was a little pathetic, and they all knew it. With a flick of her hand, Temari shied open the door with a gust of wind, casually waving at the departing Hyuuga selected. Shikamaru was a bit more subdued, curtly nodding at Neji with his dark eyes trained upon the door.

"Good luck."

"You too."

Trial was up.

* * *

(**Bloodiedsugs30's words on WNSS-**

I'm late. But I was in a slump- writer's block, and hospital all rolled into one happy package.

Session 8 is going to be about the trial, and from Chapter 5 and onwards, another arc will begin.

Sorry if I'm taking too long and boring you all out of your minds;

Bear with me. )


	32. Final Verdict

Gaara stood awkwardly, propped against the wooden paneled wall that divided his quarters from Kankuro's. Directly across from his vacant gaze stood the small view of the village that could be seen through the window, allowing him to know firsthand who was trying to enter their abode. In other meaning, it wasn't the entrance that greeted the visitor when he/she was dropping by the Subaku household, it was dome keeper's own room.

What a weird house. He wasn't sure if it was the elder's idea of a sick joke, or perhaps a twisted piece of consideration—nevertheless, it did not change the fact that he was open to the village like some freak show. At least it had an upside—he amused himself by eyeing whoever tried to enter. Sometimes he kept the facts to himself, another amusement that diverted his boredom when the guard fell asleep or something.

Today was no exception. Gaara did not get why this house was so goddamn popular, but there was at least two or three unexpected visitors a day.

The visitor flitted into the complex, but could not escape the dome keeper's scanning. The useless guard was probably having his snack.

'….?'

But wait.

This was very, quite unexpected. He reckoned Neji would be his most unexpected guest, but in this case, he guessed wrong.

"Hey."

The voice rang from beside him. A string of unwanted goose bumps ran down his arms—his mind ran back to that faithful battle when the Inuzuka had mauled both his legs. He wouldn't be able to stop it this time, he'd kill the guy, suffocate him, maul him bit by bit…

"Woah—no. It's me. "

Shikamaru grasped Gaara's twitching hand and shook his head. Boy, this kid could be the most level headed out of them all, or just plain paranoid. It just depended on his mood.

Gaara eyed the pale watcher with dull eyes, and then withdrew his hand. False alarm.

"…so you're awake."

"What a hearty welcome."

Gaara ignored the light toned sarcasm and limped onto his bed, turning away from Shikamaru. A slight wisp of sand followed in his wake, as if he was beckoning them to forever dance at his heels. Shikamaru dropped casually onto one of the wooden chairs next to the narrow table.

Silence ensued.

"…are you all for the excitement? …I bet, there'll be something new to expect…at the trials. You're gonna crash it. No?"

Gaara muttered practically under his breath. And Shikamaru laughed.

This was Gaara's kind of humor. Dry.

"Fuck, no. No more. I'm done with anything new. Sick to death of it actually."

Gaara turned to eye his sister's fiancé with yet another searching calculating look. Shikamaru returned the look with an uneasy sigh.

"…what happened? You've heard something new…or you saw. Or you did. What is it?"

Gaara shrugged and lay on his bed as if nothing was of importance.

"Shika."

"God dammit, what is it?"

"I told Neji."

* * *

**White Nights: Summer Solstice**

**Chapter 4- Blackout**

**(Session#8–Final Verdict)**

* * *

The burst of fuchsia along the skylines reflected upon Itachi's eyes. The blinding glow of the setting sun momentarily gave illusions of some play in those coal black eyes of his, but faded almost as soon as it came to light. He briefly scanned the area and realized he was the first to arrive—as always.

He seemed to be the only one present so far, but shadows appeared before him at the blink of an eye, front and back—a tense Yamanaka Ino with the rest of her ice blonde kin, the Uchiha group minus Sasuke, a subdued Amano and the Inuzuka pack minus Kiba, a mess that was Haruno Sakura who was followed by Lee and the rest of the Harunos, an ill at ease Tenten with the Tamuras, and finally, a haggard defiant Inuzuka Kiba.

"We enter at 7, sharp."

After eyeing Kiba with a disapproving air, Itachi fell silent after his short announcement—more likely he felt like he need not say more. The Inuzukas, Yamanakas, Tamuras and Harunos all nodded their consent and went mute. They all shuffled a little awkwardly; they could not recall a time they hadn't had Sasuke as their main lead to look for directions. True, the seniors and juniors had had a taste of what Itachi's reign was like, but he had graduated early, endowing the task to an unwilling Sasuke. Itachi was sleek and efficient—if he had not been so, he would not have been the former main selected—but he seemed less human. He was a little 'too' detached and distant, near unapproachable.

Kiba evidently found himself comparing the two brothers and could not help but flare a little at the expense of his assumed demeanor. Those two were too different.

It was hard to imagine Sasuke gone.

He glanced at the Uchiha group and found Uchiha Miharu stare at him pointedly then avert her glance back to Haruno, but he looked away. Screw her. He did not want any more trouble from within.

"Let's go."

The elders did not waste time.

"Let the trial begin."

In five minutes flat, everyone was in their right places and Sasuke was dragged out with several other Uchihas and Inuzukas in tow. He kept unusually quiet, much like the times before he became a selected. Kiba uneasily kept his head down while an unnerved Neji glared at the podium. Much as he wanted to, he could not keep his eyes on both Sasuke and Hinata.

He focused on not looking at those two so much that Yurie tapped him on the shoulders, crossing over to whisper:

"It's over. They just announced the verdict—stay sharp! You look asleep!"

He blinked.

They announced the verdict already? He stole a look at Hinata and saw her wilting, eyed the front and found Sasuke motionless as he had been before, unflinching. The rest of the crowd murmured softly among themselves as a voice from the Tamura sector bubbled up-"Can't believe they really did that." Neji should have relished this moment—Hizaki's enemy called out to die, at last—but he could not enjoy the circumstances. And it wasn't because he knew Shikmaru would crash the trial.

Meanwhile in the Uchiha line, Haruno Sakura paled, and stumbled.

"They're going to… kill him…? "

A dazed pause.

"Sakura…!"

Kiba's eyes widened. He meant to stop her, but forgot to shut her mouth.

"No…No NO! You've got it all wrong! It's my fault! "

Even Amano tried to grab hold of the Haruno selected but she thrust Lee into his face to avert him. He pushed aside the Haruno boy towards Kazu who scowled and pulled him sideways next to a very mute, very tense looking Kiba.

Meanwhile, Sakura scrambled up to the front—half flitting, half stumbling—brushing past the appalled witnesses.

"I brought Hyuuga Hinata into the dome—it was all me! "

She pushed a dazed Ino out of the way who'd been stand aloof with crossed arms, and who was now gaping at her in horror. The main elder crinkled his nose in irritation at this. He wasn't expecting intervention, especially from a sycophantic Haruno girl.

Uchiha Miharu beamed at the unexpected testimony.

"You are disrupting court, Haruno Sakura. Step b…"

"Please…! Sasuke did nothing wrong, he did nothing w…"

"He betrayed his own line."

The elder seemed exasperated with the whole situation. Sakura pushed on.

"But you can't kill him! I did the worse thing; I almost killed the naïveté out of s…pite! "

She paled after mentioning this, the trails of tears shining on her cheeks. The room went silent, and Ino mouthed impatient frenzied words at her former best friend. Was she fucking insane…?

"It was me—please… "I" brought her into the dome while she was sleeping! "

Lee's eyes rounded in horror and he partially rose to speak, but a strong hand pushed him back down. He turned to find a stoic Kiba at his side, grimly eyeing the spectacle. Lee indignantly tried to pry away, agonized. Kiba merely tightened his grasp. When his numerous efforts failed, he hissed at the Inuzuka selected:

"Kiba—I helped! "

Kiba's response was a swift, heavy clip on the head.

"Shut up and stand still. This could have blown over with the sacrifice of one person. You want to make it three? "

That would be indeed a blow on their line. Lee hung his head.

"You just respect this. That was insanely stupid, what she did. But it took... courage. "

Kiba did not mention though, the respect that suddenly bubbled up from the corner of his mind for the desperate Haruno selected. He was impressed. He didn't know she was capable of…any kind of sacrifice, really. The only impression he'd had of her was as a vain easy kind of girl, whose only assets were her healing powers and primped appearance.

Sakura landed on her knees, her face shining with tears.

"Please… you can lessen his punishment, since I confessed. Please! PLEASE…!"

She shrieked at the main elders seated at the middle, her hands raking the front of her collar. The Hyuuga elder eyed her indifferently, and then eyed the Uchiha elders, his eyes sweeping over the uncomfortable and displeased lot. They'd already haggled over the price. It was meaningless whether something was right or wrong, no?

He spoke:

"There is no other solution. Case closed. "

Sakura blanched.

"…cock sucker...!"

Ino murmured under her breath, her hands digging into both her crossed arms, her body rigid with genuine anger. For once, she completely sympathized with Sakura. She was a fucking pill, but she was making a goddamn stand here, and the elders should respect that. Wasn't that a given? Did even the selecteds not have a say in anything? Were they just, all, a big nothing?

"Does the neutral line have any say in this? Well, Temari? Kankuro? "

The elder acknowledged the watcher team minus Nara with a nod, as if to reassure himself of the dependent, even-tempered neutrals.

"Not yet."

That wasn't the answer she was supposed to give. Kankuro glanced at his sister with unease—why wasn't she following the script? The elder already seemed displeased.

Temari kept her face composed, but could not help seething inside. So this level of pleading wouldn't do a thing with the decision that was already made. Sakura's plead had accomplished nothing, despite the girl's well meaning to. Temari had already expected so, but would even Shikamaru have the power to sway the mass this time? She blandly checked how the Hyuuga line was taking this all in. She noted Neji turning red—damn near close to explosion himself at the sudden realization of how all this, came to unfold. God. Haruno and her obsession.

Meanwhile, Hinata was in a trance.

She stopped breathing, her heart pounding in her ribcage. Her head was a mess.

' …be creative. '

Think Hinata—think!

Wasn't there 'anything' she really could do? Was her stay in the Uchiha mansion just a ruse? If it wasn't, why haven't they asked 'her' anything? Why did the verdict come out even before she had a say? Yurie had recommended she not talk as long as she wasn't spoken to…did that mean, she really could not change anything?

And even worse than all those thoughts combined: had he known all along?

She tremblingly looked up at the mass of people gathered in the room. Immediately, she spotted the face she wanted to see.

There was Sasuke, his onyx eyes as vapid and impassive as ever, his face betraying no emotions. He stood rigidly, his fists loosely balled up, the omnipresent chains shackling and cutting into his wrists. He didn't react to anything, not even at the sight of Sakura bawling her eyes out for his behalf. Not even at the elders who were ordering his death. The look of weary resignation crossed his face briefly before it fell back into its stoic immobility. He even looked a little satisfied. Dull. Not bored, merely just…

'He knew all along…"

He had known, all along.

That was even worse. That meant he gave up even before he tried. That meant he purposely did not mention what was going on, to Hinata. He was coddling her a little, babying her, protecting her from the truth, in a way.

And a spark of indignation flared inside her.

She snapped her head backwards and stared at Neji. Then at her uncle. Then at Ryuha. Then at Yurie. Then at Naruto, Shino, Sai and all the others she'd come to know, present. There were something about their expressions, that inexpressive yet tentative, resigned expression that hit home.

They all knew.

They too, had all known all along.

"…Yurie, why…?"

"Shht…Hinata. It's going to be over soon. Relax. "

Relax? Did they all expect her to sit back and relax? Was she really, that naive?

Unwanted tears sprang into her eyes. Really. What a baby. What a shitty burden for everyone to bear. Even if she tried, the only answer she'd get back is some patronizing, supposedly well meaning "Well, you wouldn't know…" or "You can't change anything."

No. There was another solution. She could change something.

Why didn't she realize that before? …Or maybe her brain forced that bit of logic out of her head, trying to protect her physical form?

There was a solution. Maybe.

Hinata straightened her back and stared directly at the head of the room. Neji noticed her sudden change in mood and wanted to ask, but—he hadn't even had a chance to talk to her properly. He wanted to apologize for not arriving in time to pick her up, but he knew she'd understand. The only thing she wouldn't forgive him for was that short phone call they had during her stay in the mansion. He closed his eyes to smother the newly erupting rage at the situation.

What the hell did the Uchiha kid do?

There were a few small talks exchanged between the elders in the front, and they all expectantly waved for the speaker to go on. Hinata glared at the main elder, her small fists scrunched up and sweaty.

"This court decides, for its final judgment, that Uchiha Sasuke be sentenced to—"

"That verdict can't be justified! "

She bellowed out loud before she could stop herself.

The court went silent. The elder narrowed his eyes.

"…can't be justified? Who said that? "

Neji started at the sudden objection and gaped at his cousin sister. He grabbed her arm and pulled her close, whispering furiously into her ears:

"Are… you… mad…? "

Hinata defiantly pried loose, deftly shaking herself from Neji's arms without looking at him. He was surprised at her sudden boldness.

"I can prove them wrong Neji! "

"That's NOT the point—do you know what you're doing? "

He pointed towards the front of the room, at the tall stooped figure with his crop of raven hair and alarmed face. Sasuke immediately spotted them both and gave Hinata a withering "don't make the same mistake Haruno did" look.

"That's…an Uchiha, he's our enemy! He tried to kill you! "

He flinched at the intensity of the glare she gave him. He didn't think she was capable of that much anger.

Flinging away an arm that tried to stop her, she determinedly walked towards the center of the room, not even sure how she'd convince them properly. A confused Amano shook her head at Hinata, not getting what had gotten into the meek Hyuuga naïveté.

If only she was good at talking.

Hinata took a pause and stared in the shrunken eyes of the main elder.

"…I can't prove that Uchiha Sasuke was in a fit. "

Someone in the rails snorted, while others glowered at her. Naruto motioned at her in a frazzled frenzy, trying to indicate to her that doing this would not change anything. She ignored him, painfully aware of his growing panicky movements. Sasuke gave her another mystified look.

"Do you realize, Hyuuga Hinata, that you are disrupting a court case? You do not have a say in this. If this is your idea of a joke, we—"

"—But."

The elder looked flustered at having been cut off by a timid little girl, and a naïveté at that. Tenten gawked with her mouth open.

"I can justify his actions, so he doesn't have to…die. I 'do' have a say in this. "

She got this far, and took a deep breath.

This was a death wish, probably the most self-endangering act she had ever committed in her 17 years of life.

Hyuuga Hinata—coward.

Poor, wussy Hinata, who couldn't even ride a roller coaster in the amusement park because she was scared of , gutless Hinata, who didn't even protest once while her parents filed in for divorce. Didn't even complain when she was shipped into Konoha like some unwanted spoiled good, treated like a nuisance again and again.

Hinata. Who couldn't confess to the boy she thought she liked, even when his life might be numbered.

She stole a look at Sasuke, who was staring at her, outraged and confused. He wore that expression again, the "where the fuck did she come from" one. Well at least he looked alive again, as opposed to half dead. She smiled inwardly.

Five days locked up in that dark mansion together, and she still never even let it on how much she'd come to like him, despite his spontaneous bursts of anger and cynicism. Yes, he was rude, and didn't bat an eye while threatening her. But at least he gave her the truth instead of wrapping it in mounds of pity and unplaced coddling. Out of all the people in Konoha, he'd been the most truthful of them all. Yes, she was a burden. And yes, she was in danger in Konoha. There was nothing double sided harboring beneath his angry face except the ugly truth.

He wasn't kind, not at all really. He was a regular bully if she'd ever met one. But he was one of the nicest unlikely people she'd ever met.

This was probably as far as she'd go in showing him that, though not exactly in words.

"I'm…not a naïveté. "

"…"

The elders' eyes actually gleamed, and she almost lost her voice.

"…what…did you say? "

The room fell silent, and Neji went limp.

"Repeat it at once! "

"I'm not a naïveté! "

Hinata yelled, and paused, continuing with a somewhat smaller voice:

"So…so, his actions can be justified! "

Everyone had an incredulous look on their faces. Sasuke's face paled and his fists unclenched, shaken. An Inuzuka elder scowled and shook his head—"She must be faking, she's lying. "

The Hyuuga main elder smiled triumphantly, a nerve twitching on his face while the Uchiha stood with a curious look.

"Prove it. "

"…"

"Prove it to us all, right here, right now—that you are not indeed a naïveté."

Hinata hesitated. Why hadn't she thought of that?

Yes, she had felt some power back there, and yes, she'd managed to walk through Nara senpai's shadows without being affected…but could she? Now? Here? She knew the elders would not believe unless they had steady proof, and fast. If only it was something like magic, if only she could whisper the magic words to summon up anything.

But she didn't know how.

"See? Even if you say so, there's no one to back up your words. "

The gnarled finger accused. She hung her head in defeat.

"So, Let's get back to the trial shall we?"

"…But there is someone. "

A voice rang out from the back of the room, and everyone turned around to see who.

From the hallway, a tall lanky figure emerged from the dark, his languid gait contrasting with the fast paced one of the girl walking next to him.

Temari entered the room first, her eyes set in a challenging look at those people who muttered right away about her former defiance. They hadn't even noticed she had slipped from the court room. Kankuro gaped at his sister from far across the room. What was she doing over there? Temari smiled and stepped lightly aside, beckoning for her companion to enter.

Then came the watcher.

"…Nara? "

The name escaped from his mouth as Sasuke unbelievingly took an impulsive step forward. He was immediately blocked by the stand bys, but a spark of something lighted up in his formerly stoic face. For a moment, he was completely relieved of his pain.

Cringing a little but still smiling confidently, Shikamaru approached the gawking elders.

"Alright—Shikamaru! You're awake! "

Somewhere from the throng of the younger crew, Naruto piped up, his fist punching up in triumph, as oblivious to the general mood as usual.

"…Nara. "

The elders looked half relieved and half chagrined by the watcher's belated appearance. True, it was all better for the bigger picture if he was awake—but now? They believed he could've chosen a better timing.

But as for Hinata and Sakura, it had to be the best timing. Kankuro cracked a hearty grin as Temari joined him at her place again. Shikamaru walked on slowly down the middle lane, not bothering to hurry or explain himself as usual.

As he passed by Hinata, he pace slowed and he grinned without looking at her.

"Well well. I'm pretty impressed, Hinata girl. "

"Nara-senpai, you're…okay…? "

He ignored her question and gestured lightly towards the front of the room with his head.

"We underestimated you. "

"But it was no use—they wouldn't listen..."

His large hand cupped her short crop of hair lightly as he moved on with a grimace.

"I'll make them listen. "

There was a light pressure upon her head then nothing: she felt his tall form move on. She swiftly turned back to see him walk up towards the elders unflappably as if this was his place to be. She quickly turned back to see Temari beam back at her.

"No shit—he's really alive and awake."

Ryuha breathed, amazed at the timing. He felt Yurie tremble beside him and carefully stepped forward to hide her confused state. Enough excitement today.

Shikamaru reached the point between the elders and the selecteds. He turned back and eyes Temari, who nodded back at him. Now that Hinata admitted she wasn't a naïveté anymore, he was free to tell them. God knows things were going to get more hectic from now on, judging by the looks on the elders' faces, but…fuck it.

How troublesome—he grinned.

"I can make the necessary testimony.

The Hyuuga elder looked immensely dipleased, but nodded.

"After I purposely shadow locked the entire forest area, I realized I'd missed a patch of land due to stamina. But as I had already made the announcement through the speakers, I decided it would not be necessary to carry on. But before I could release everyone—Hinata called me."

The Uchiha elder was somehow smiling, but the Hyuuga elder frowned again.

"Couldn't she have been somewhere that you missed?"

"Not possible. I made sure I covered all of the neutral land since that was where Sasuke had been in the beginning. Temari had been with Hinata then, but Temari unlike Hinata, was under the influence of the shadows. And as you all know by the previous demonstrations—"

Here, Shika flicked his hands and flexed them playfully.

"—a person under shadow lock is unable to move at all, and at my will, cannot breathe at times. But Hyuuga Hinata managed to walk through like nothing was going on, even sensing Neji and Sasuke's fight like any other who's not a naïveté. "

Finishing those words, he eyed the Hyuuga elder with a faint smile. He wanted to sit down and doze off without having to see the purple faced elder glaring down at him. Petty victory.

"Do you need any more proof?"

"You're doing this on purpose Nara! To let the Uchiha kid go! "

A sudden voice rang out from the Hyuuga line.

"I bet your powers don't even work right now—weak as you are!"

Shikamaru instantly turned on the speaker and bound him. The young Aburame elder thrashed—or more likely—tried to thrash out of the lock, but remained enchained. The man looked furious, but turned redder and redder as the air was chocked out of him. Looking at the rest of them, Shikamaru released him.

"I could lock this entire room, so that nobody could move…or breathe."

It was not a threat, but a plainly stated fact. Temari cringed, but remained still for the benefit of the trial. The Aburame elder gasped and hacked on the floor, gaping at the watcher, stunned.

"…that was impertinent of you, Nara.

Shikamaru simply smiled courteously at the main elder. Fuck you.

He turned back and met eyes with a baffled Hinata, and half raised his right hand.

"I believe the need for a demonstration is at hand."

He smiled stiffly, not entirely sure if his body was up for the job. And his wound was starting to hurt. And…

Fuck. And Neji knows. Why the hell did Gaara – He glanced at the Hyuuga side, meeting eyes with the Hyuuga selected. Neji only looked intensely at the scene unfolding before him, momentarily eased of the memory of the conversation he had with the dome keeper.

"Go on."

At the elder's words, he formed a fist, felt the shadow twitching, gathering. No one ever had been able to escape his shadows. Except Hinata. It wasn't a fluke. He didn't care what had happened before the White Nights- he knew what he had seen with his very own two eyes in the dome.

Hinata blanched and withered at the sudden attention poured on her. She certainly did not look the part, but she could ward off the shadows. Shikamaru knew. He already tried.

He'd tried locking her foot when he'd first entered the room. And she still walked on.

"Hinata."

"…yes senpai?"

She was unaware. It would have been hilarious under different circumstances. She did not know she was still moving about in a shadow lock.

"Run."

He locked more than necessary, engulfing one thirds of the room with his shadows. The people whoe were locked were outraged without even the mobility to show their anger. Meanwhile, the others gawked at the sole moving figure within the shadows. No one should have been able to move. Yet there was Hinata, running part-hysterically towards the podium with her eyes screwed shut, waiting for her body to stop. She was running through the shadows.

Shikamaru removed the lock, but not before Hinata almost crashed into the back wall. Neji's hand shot out and stopped her, but by that time, she was already out of the shadow zone, well into the back corner of the room. The dazed Hyuuga elder murmured:

"So the girl, she isn't…a naïveté."

"I'm afraid so."

Shikamaru walked up to Hinata and placed both hands on her shoulders.

"—and by the rules, as we all know and abide, Sasuke's actions in attempting to …well, hurt her, is justified, as the purpose of the battle is, Hyuuga versus Uchiha. The only exception we had made was precisely because Hyuuga Hinata was a naïveté, and therefore, has no place inside the dome. But it turns out that is not the case. "

Temari took over, flipping out the case files.

"Since the sentence was decided upon wrong assumptions and partially erroneous facts, I believe we at least have to give the Uchiha selected, some pardon. "

Shikamaru gave the main elder another shit-eating smile.

"Let's say, another trial with the right information this time? "

The elder smiled back, half irritated and half intrigued. They weren't interested with Sasuke's case anymore. So what if he almost killed the most competant watcher there ever was? Nara Shikamaru was awake now, wasn't he? Cocky little bastard that he is, he is alive and well. There were more… important matters to be attended to, such as, say: Hyuuga Hinata.

"…release him. "

An unbelievable look crossed Sasuke's face as the shackles were removed and he went forward, pushed down from the back lane.

Really? No, really?

Did he escape from something impossible just now?

He almost stumbled but stiffly regained his balance and eyed the elders who'd bartered with his life. They either stared dully back at him, or averted his pointed glance. No, they didn't really care anymore. The deal was gone, and they'd haggle over a new price over a new deal in a snatch. The elders fell in deep discussion the moment the members started to disperse, almost as if the trial had been a mock one.

And now…

"Sasuke…!"

A tumble of tears and something very feminine and small bounced into him—and for once, it wasn't Haruno Sakura.

Hinata, completely oblivious to the avulsion and horror of everyone in the room skipped across the room. She rushed into Sasuke and wrapped her small arms around his body with a silent shout of sheer joy, squeezing ecstatic tears onto the fabric of his shirt, something she would not have done had she'd been in a right state of mind.

Really.

* * *

(bloodiedsug's words on WNSS-)

Remember how Hinata had been under the influence of Shikamaru's shadow lock some long chapters ago?

I'll explain that soon. And other muddled up things too.

Sorry about the slow updates.

PS: dear passerby, lol.

If you bothered to read all 32 chapters of my story and still find it boring, there's a great solution to your problem: don't read it!

It strikes me as hilarious that you even bothered commenting (as anonymous) and read the whole thing to boot even as you found it boring. If you have a lot of time on your hands, do read something that's more to your liking, because it seems you're missing my point: I'm not writing this story for you, it's just something I do for fun once in a while. =)

Sorry your opinion wasn't as important as it seemed in your eyes. And seriously I know I'm being a bitch about this, but honestly?

If all of the commenters told me this was boring, that I should change and blah blah, I would've considered, and decided I really should change, since I have uploaded this on a place where there's bound to be feedback. But since it's only you... (again, anonymous) .. meh.

And if you really had been bored so far, I do hope you never get to see this, because if you come back and get riled up and start defending yourself like a youtube flamer, you'd have only proved yourself to be another idiot who thinks just because they didnt use any swearing, you've given constructive criticism. So dear whoever you are, erase my story from your updates or whatever, cuz let's face it. If it's been 32 chappies and you still don't like it, it's obviously not your kinda thing. A little slow on the uptake no?

I've wasted my time writing this LOL. Now I need to go eat 'ㅛ'

Bear with me)


	33. Aftermath

_They called them ghost eyes, them ones with those white eyes. The eyes that can see everything, though and out._

_Byakugan._

_Then there were the others, eyes red like the devil's. Ones that could read movements, all kinds of movements._

_Sharingan._

_600 years ago, a village shaman made a proposition to the two wealthiest pure blood families in town—the one who came out the stronger would be granted 'eternal life'._

_In those days, people believed in spirits. They believed the shaman had the powers to grant them life. And they were arrogant, confidant of their skills._

_So they fought._

_One killed the other, and the rest follows._

_Whether or not the prize is real did not matter at all._

_The feud still goes on to this day._

* * *

**White Nights: Summer Solstice**

**Chapter ****4- Blackout**

**(Session#****9 (extra) –Aftermath)**

* * *

**(Inuzuka Kiba's perspective)**

Perhaps we were in the wrong.

We always looked for Sasuke when we knew deep in our hearts that he was just human. More so, even, because he had more piled right up on his shoulders, weighing him down like nothing else.

I can't beg to differ.

I came out of the court room feeling like shit, because I didn't know I could sink this low. You can never be aware of how low you can stoop until you do—then you despair because you know you still can go lower and beyond. Haruno pitched a right fit about it, but I wasn't even interested. I didn't know if it was out of pure spite, or righteousness that I actually came to this point. Whether or not he had found his savior inside a naïveté- that wasn't really a naïveté as it turned out-:he'd lost a friend. I testified against Sasuke.

Turn back a few years. Start from the damn beginning.

* * *

I first had my comeuppance full on at school, right after school inside a dim lighted classroom. I'd just gone through my first White Nights battle as a selected. The battle had been chalked up as a victory on the Uchiha line. And I had lost a cousin sister.

That in itself, wasn't much. Many lost their friends and family in battle. Many times we won. Many times we lost. That was normal.

What I was bent over, was the fact that I'd lost her while being reckless. I clammed up, mute. Unbelievable. It would've been easier to turn my harried mental state into a joke, considering my personality, but that was near impossible. Haruno was such a good healer, why the fuck couldn't she bring Karin back alive? She'd been there, really, she'd been alive...but then again, this is me pointing fingers. It's my fault. Maybe if I'd hollered for Haruno right away-but no, I had to get my revenge on the Hyuugas for doing that to Karin. I had to set the score.

I vaguely figured someone would pass by soon enough and tend to her, since I'd left her near our line's vicinity. Thinking so, I chased the offensive Hyuuga all the way deep into the Hyuuga line, a fine rampage. As it turned out, most of everyone had been scrambling after me as soon as they sensed me going loose within the Hyuuga sector. They thought I needed back up. They gave me all the back up I needed.

We had a good fight alright.

But who knows how long Karin lay there, conscious, counting the minutes until someone who come to her, someone would help...I'd seen her hadn't I? I'd seen her get hurt. So of course some help would arrive soon-every fucking minute until she passed away, she'd have thought that. Because she never thought to doubt me. The thought made me throw up.

Scrunching my full frame into the space between the cabinet and the diagonally placed TV, I opened the back panel of the TV rack. Inside, were a few dusty manuals and loose nails-along with a metal hook and a long thick piece of rope.

Could I do it?

Was it really that easy?

How the hell did Nara's sister manage it anyways-my body seemed too strong to merely strangle the life out of. A human's body would struggle at the throes of death. Think what I would do. Probably my thrashing would tear away the rope in no time. Maybe I should have gotten something more definite, possibly a gun, if that could be managed.

Wishing I could get someone to do the job instead, I snapped back the cabinet slot briskly when I heard someone enter the room. The new presence did not call for me, nor did he call to see if anyone was there. He just walked straight to where I hid and bent over.

"...Kiba. "

I did not meet his eyes. Leaning against the wooden frame where the TV perched, I raised my hands in defeat. No more.

"Please. I'm resigning from my selected spot. "

The figure scoffed than pushed the TV aside violently so that I almost tumbled backwards. It toppled over and nearly smashed, but was steadied before it touched the floor. Sasuke's scarlet eyes glowed as he buffed out the noise, lest anyone was still about. He emphasized:

"There is no 'resigning' Kiba. Either you stay, or you die trying to quit."

Well. Yes. Obviously.

My body went numb, and the words Amano had told me years back hit me like a five ton brick:

_"Hey, Kiba…what you do when someone tries to hand you a job that killed your sister? "_

Shikamaru had been appointed the new watcher that very day, and Amano was commenting on the irony. I recalled the deadpan apathetic expression on the guy as he went inside to renew his status in front of the elder council. There was no trace of denial. He simply accepted his new role. I offered an acidic look as a reply. What a depressing subject to bring up.

"…you take it? Because that's how things are done here. "

What was he trying to prove here? Amano shrugged, overlooking the look on my face. He sat on the concrete floor of the building overlooking the school grounds with that signature lost look on his face. I treated him with contempt because he was a high schooler. He was a high schooler chatting with his younger brother on top of the middle school building. I'm not sure why, but at the moment, it seemed pathetic to me.

"That's right kid. You take it. "

"This is such bullshit—I'm not sitting here and listening to you preach about—"

"But there's a trick to this, Kiba—"

"There's no goddamn trick in this—"

"You can always wait for the second chance. "

"…"

I'd always been skeptical of Amano's views on life. He was the dreamy type, one to moon about with no action. His head was full of words and ethics he was trying to cram into others around him. No matter how I tried, I couldn't muster up any real hate in him. It was like the mechanism, the gene that made me rile up and swear and break things had skipped Amano and had gone straight to me. Or more likely, Amano was the one with the missing gene, the so called black sheep. Our clan had been pinpointed the troublemakers, no? The violent, difficult group. And I know a few of the guys, like Kazu and Touru, prided themselves on that fact.

The trouble with Amano was that he didn't get into trouble. He was so out of it, it was odd that he never bothered with reform.

"…what second chance? "

I grumbled, wishing break time was over.

"Life isn't a one course meal—it never ends with round one. There's a thing called second chance. "

I sneered and flipped my hands—palm up—into the air in mock fanfare. Patronizing asshole.

"But for what use? Shikamaru's already taken that job, he's taken that burden—it's over. "

"Nah. That kid is too smart for that. It always worried me, how he took the job without complain. Thinking about his previous conducts, quite surprising. "

I scanned Amano carefully at this. Coming to think of it, he was right. Shikamaru had been laying low for so long, I'd figured the fight had gone out of him, but maybe that wasn't the case. That couldn't be it. He could be biding his time—but for what purpose?

"He's a time bomb Kiba. Be wary. Don't aggravate that kid—leave him be. "

"What makes you think I will? That guy's a neutral ain't he?"

Amano didn't even cringe at my acerbic tone anymore. He's gotten too used to it. Besides, he knew I didn't really get it. I figured he was just preaching about something as ridiculous as peace and non violence, and that shit doesn't fly here.

"…well anyways. You'll get your second chance too. "

"What? To chuck jobs I don't like? I'd take it. "

He'd given me another one of his odd looks then, like he was tired of waiting for me to grow up or something.

"No. To stand up for someone other than yourself. "

* * *

I still hadn't understood then, his odd logic. To me, he was all words and no guts, the brother who could have been the selected, but was so incompetent that the role somehow went to me. In other words, he was the main reason I later on became the selected. It wasn't as if Amano was weak physically. He just didn't give a damn.

But now that I think about it, maybe he was the smart one.

I faced Sasuke after thinking this over. The conversation I had struck a weird chord of melancholy within me that should have laid dormant but refused to abate. And it had stayed with me, all these years. These long, long years.

"I don't want to be this anymore Sasuke. It's disgusting."

"Neither do I."

He shoved the TV rack on its wheels and kicked it into place. His pale face was pinched and angry. He'd already half figured what I wanted to do, and looked livid.

"But we were stupid Kiba. I figured, back when I was a nothing: if I was stronger, no one would bother me. Turned out I was a long way off."

He crouched down and faced me, the red glow diminishing at a rapid pace. I stared back hesitantly. I realized with some shame that this was probably the first time Sasuke had seen what a wimp I was. You bet I made out as if I was tough. The lime glow I held in my eyes was my last dignity. Forget the difference in strength—I wanted out, and if he wanted to stop me, I'd forgo the going quietly part. Wasn't that a given? Look what happened to Nara's sister. Either you strutted around like a prize fighting cock, or people got the idea that you were soft. Sasuke had to know. He'd been on the other side before, he knew what it felt like. It was all I could do to pretend I didn't really-

"It's not your fault that Karin died you dumb fuck."

He spat the words out. He seemed irritated, the way his charcoal black eyes glowered, his brow raised.

Flushed, I retorted:

"I know it wasn't!"

"Then why are you moping around, toying with this—!"

He jerked open the wooden cabinet, chipping the wood in his haste. I met the remnants of my planning with chagrin, the fight going out of me in a flash. I watched as Uchiha Sasuke viciously shredded the thick rope and bent back the hook so that it no longer resembled a hook. All the while, he was muttering about how stupid I was, how much he'd like to bash me in.

"I'd kill you myself if it wasn't over such a –"

Another furious snap, and the hook was in halves.

"—stupid fucking—"

He tossed the pieces into the corner of the room.

"—reason."

I dully sat there, slumped against the white washed wall. The lime glow had faded from my eyes a long while ago, and I awaited punishment or some sort of word play that would even be worse than punishment. But Sasuke only eyed me, exasperated and furious in his own way. He wanted me to understand, not grovel.

"Look, why don't you get it? It changes nothing, being dead. When you're dead, you're dead."

"...Karin's death is not a stupid fucking reason."

"Shut up. That's not the point. You're just seeking the easy way out, d'you know that?"

I was mute. Sasuke brushed aside the strings of coarse twine that littered the floor. And I admitted that deep inside, I kinda knew what he'd been talking about all along. It would all have been so much easier if I gave up. But if I had done what I intended to do, it would have been for a whole different reason than one that caused Nara Shizuka to die. It would have been admittedly, a bit more selfish.

Sasuke held up the pieces of twine right up to my face, and let it fall.

"You can fall like a piece of shit from a passing pidgeon. Or you can fall gracefully. You passing away like this? It's just falling splat on your face. Karin's worth more than that."

Sasuke was starting to sound like Amano. It was a hilarious. It was scary. It was comforting.

"So why don't you live today, and change the whole fucking world tomorrow."

I did not cry.

But I wanted to.

* * *

"…you vouched for Sasuke right? …Right? …just say that you did! Why is that so hard, just say that you did!"

Of course it's easy to say that I did.

"Just LIE goddamn you! "

Haruno's screaming reverberates back to me, again and again and a thousand times over. And she is loud. Even in the vacuum-like space that is my mind, she is loud.

_" You're his goddamn best friend! "_

Since when did I vouch for the rules? We always had agreed, all of us, that we naturally hated the elders. We often hung out on the rooftop of the freshman building, me and Sasuke and a few others-and almost always the conversation had skipped back to that theme. White Nights was 600 years of bullshit. We hate the elders. Fuck responsibility. Fucking Hyuugas. Simple as that. But like a horde of lemmings with a case of the Stockholm syndrome, we all were ruthless in punishing rule breakers. We were all a stickler for rules, and our lives revolved directly around White Nights. And most of us nursed a secret desire to graduate and dump all this baggage on the next generation, happy enough to clear off and become assholes.

Back there, in the stuffy classroom on an August afternoon, Sasuke had vouched for me in my moment of weakness. But could I say the same for myself?

Sometimes it takes half a lifetime to figure out something idiotically simple.

* * *

I hope Karin died with a curse on her lips.

* * *

**(Hatake Kakashi****'s perspective)**

It wasn't everyday I got a phone call like this.

Normally, the higher up elders never bothered to personally call, lest the phone got tapped. They either sent messengers or waited until a scheduled meeting. But this time, they directly contacted me through a public line. It probably meant everyone already knew what was about to ensue, and it turned out I was dead on.

With handling youngsters, it seemed every odd job in town somehow got back to me. Of course, by proxy, I was the town outsider with an insider's veneer; maybe it wasn't so odd I got dumped with this new unlikely task. I figured I had done my worth back when the Nara clan fiasco had sprung up, but promises aren't always kept in Konoha. That's an understatement. Promises are hardly ever kept in Konoha.

But some promises are worth keeping.

Setting down the grey tinged phone with a soft click, I searched around the book case for the graduating album from a few years back. I spotted the right one after a few mistakes—the correct date keeps slipping my mind. I happen to remember the exact dates and happenings surrounding every White Nights battle I've experienced, yet I cannot recall the year from which students I've taught had left my side. It's much too different with matters not concerning the battle. Too innocent. Too menial to leave a damp imprint in my dried up mind. So maybe, the things I forget are more worth remembering than the things I do remember.

Flipping around casually, I immediately found the name and the picture I'd set out to see. A pale drawn face that wasn't homely but not really spectacular either stared back at me. Her soft gaze somehow missed the point halfway and fell short, as if she avoided the camera lens at the count to three. Her hair pulled back with smoky wisps framing her uncertain face. Her hands not shown, but probably clasped gently on her lap. The girl didn't have much in her face to show she had any real strength in her. In fact, she looked pretty weak. And many others did think so as well, justifying their direct cruelty with contempt for the delicate way she held her poise.

I wasn't one for clichés, but I would agree full heartedly that when it came to Nara Shizuka, one shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

I meant to decline the offer when the girl initially came to me for help, but in the end, I was pretty glad she came to me and not them. For a last judgment, it had gone well overall.

"_I assure you, he is a competent man and a well respected resident of Konoha. He will accept the role, as I have already explained the circumstances._"

I chuckled wearily. A forlorn Shikamaru had visited me with the letter folded carefully in his hands, his defiant eyes cautious and dark. The boy had still been aggressive in the earlier months prior to Shizuka's untimely death. He fought a lot, a nuisance for the elders considering the fact that the boy could willingly halt movement. But he never questioned my authority because Shizuka had her heart set on me in the will.

"You were chosen, specifically by the council, as the perfect canditate for this project-"

Since I was the only one left of my clan, the elders did provide some leeway when it came to me. It did occur to them that I was a valuable specimen for their future projects—it would all be so futile should I die before my prime. I never intended to, but the elders seemed wary of the whole matter, as if I would conduct a mock suicide like the ones that occurred after Shizuka's death. I remained polite and detached. And by signing the documents for posthumous 'donations,' I managed to successfully live on the low, dodging responsibility that others were forced into. But now I had a new set of responsibilites.

Now the problem lay in the question; was Hyuuga Hinata as weak and feeble minded as she seemed?

"…and we do hope, training would begin right away—"

An order shrouded in a polite request.

I studied the hastily taken Polaroid picture.

A pale girl with raven hair peeked out, her lavender eyes tentative. It seemed as if she had her eyes cast downwards until the last moment, looking up only because she was told to. She wasn't smiling—given the circumstances, quite natural—and behind her, a glimpse of the Hyuuga selected, that Neji boy, his presence definite, protective. Her looks were telltale Hyuuga, but she lacked that certain confidence that one usually could detect in the Hyuuga clan. A look that said one was sure of his/her place in the world- she lacked that. A sweet looking girl, but not exactly selected material.

I put aside the picture.

Never mind what she looked like—what interested me more was her behavior. Uchihas who monitored her movement inside their mansion had brought over files. Subaku Temari had brought over notes taken during the trial, of the girl's relationship with her supposed enemy, Uchiha Sasuke. Given the circumstances? Not quite the normal behavior. It was like seeing a real life version of the lion and the lamb. But the roles looked reversed to me. Sasuke might as well have been the aggressive lamb, and Hinata the zealous yet timid lion.

It seemed she built up quite a rapport with the Uchiha selected- and that, I thought, was an impressive feat in itself. I personally knew Uchiha Sasuke only too well, and I also knew how much of a pill the kid could be. Obviously he had to have some crazy independent streak, I mean, all selecteds do. But he pushed over the boundaries, dripping out of the cup and flowing onto...god knows what. I saw him transform under my training, from a meek timid weakling into a full fledged hellion. Hell, I've seen Haruno Sakura wilt at his fury, and that was before he fully became what he is now. But this last stunt the Hyuuga girl pulled, hugging him in front of all the two lines...

Maybe she wasn't so meek and timid after all. Maybe this would be worth it. Teaching. Training.

I glance at the oval mirror as I return the graduation book to its place in the bookcase. And I have half a heart to tsk and flip a birdie at my own reflection, a liberating sensation. Honestly, it was too sad, too naive of me to think this would change anything.

Once a fool, always a fool.

* * *

**(Hyuuga Hinata****'s perspective)**

He was a bit sweaty, Sasuke. Sweaty and quiet and still, that's what I remember most.

The look of painstaking reserve had gone, and in its place was this new look, very uncertain. I never meant to hug him so outright in front of everybody, but...but wasn't this great? He was off the hook, never mind what had to be done to achieve that. I felt buoyant beyond comprehension. I felt happier than Sasuke himself, judging by the looks that sprung on both our faces. He looked down at me with stiff arms that hesitated. He completely froze when I hugged him. And I'm not sure, if hugging him had been the right thing to do. It felt like a faux pas.

But it was okay, because I discovered a new fact about his eyes: they were so dark, like a pool of still water, that everything was reflected back to me. That's where I saw my face, so happy. And he was shocked to see me that happy. Happy to the point of idiocy maybe, because I seemed to have forgotten a few things.

I admit...now, I'm afraid.

No, it is not because I still harbor nightmares about his eyes blazing red and his hands tearing me apart...that sort of fear, I have gotten over. Partially. But I'm not sure...what would become of me in his eyes, because I had willingly abandoned my naivete status. And much as I'm unaware, I know this in itself is a huge, huge deal. Neji wasn't able to talk to me for a full day after court, because he was upset. He seemed more upset than others but would not explain why. He went over to the Subaku residence and hadn't returned since. Meanwhile, Ryuha sat down and mentioned he admired me for what I did, but maybe it hadn't been the smartest of decisions. He was a little worried he said. Then he handed me a cup of hot chocolate.

Sipping the overly sweet concoction, I considered the possibilities.

Maybe Sasuke would not talk to me anymore. Maybe his only interest in me, truly stemmed from the fact that I was a Hyuuga naivete-from what I hear, his ideal. And because I'd thrown away his ideal to save him, would he hate me? Would it condemn me in his eyes to have thrown away something he wanted all these years?

_But honestly, would it have meant more to him if I preserved his ideal rather than saved his life?_

I wished endlessly to know more about this place, more about its inhabitants. It was almost enough to forget the hollow family life I led before coming here. It was enough to know I might be able to carve out of a niche for myself here, so that I could belong. But in order to do that, I had to know more. I wanted to hear about everyone's past, everyone's relationship with each other and the little details that seemed to merge together into ironclad rules.

"...will I... see you at school?"

I'd asked before we went out separate ways. Sasuke stood a few steps away from the other selecteds who looked either shamefaced or completely relieved. Yurie had tried to grab me into place, but I had to ask. It was infinitely scarier to think he'd vanish, never to be seen again than getting close to the people of the Uchiha line. And considering the string of events that had led up to this point, it seemed a perfectly plausible deduction.

"We both, have to."

He answered after thinking. I nodded then turned away, acutely feeling the chill that suddenly bloomed down my spine when I saw Haruno Sakura looking daggers at me with her red eyes. Right. He was not of our line, I kept forgetting. I was not supposed to look forward to meeting him in school. I should not ever, associate myself with these people willingly.

It was a sad thought.

"Hey, wait-"

I turned around before he fully reached me, and he stopped mid-step. Everyone's eyes were on us, and I knew it. He knew it. It was like being on stage on a play that was receiving mixed reviews. Sasuke did not waste a second- he plucked something from his pocket and plopped it into my hands. His large hands folded my smaller ones over the object he'd handed me, and it was hidden in my palms, out of view.

"...W, what's this-"

But he'd already turned on his heels, his back to me.

"Let's go."

Without missing a beat, the other selecteds in his line followed him meekly, his position restored just like that. He did not look back, nor did the others with the exception of Haruno Sakura who stiffly turned halfway and mouthed a angry thank you at me. And that shocked me too.

The crowd dispersed, and Yurie and Ryuha took me back home.

They both worriedly stared at my hands when they figured I wasn't looking. I was still clasping tightly the item Sasuke had given me. I hadn't taken a peek, so I was not sure of what it was. But whatever it was, it was small. It was metallic. And it had a definite shape. And it hit me soon enough, what it was.

It was a tiny key, flecked and chipped, edges dull and smooth with age. Not even your normal kind of key with the jagged edges and such. One of those bronze, old fashioned keys with two flat edges and no hole.

I didn't know what it meant, or why he gave this to me. Was I supposed to know? Was I being ridiculously dim again? But I honestly did not know what to make of that key.

But it did, made me think. I'd see him again and I'd talk to him again.

It would be the same classroom with the same teacher, writing down pointers that might spring up in the midterm exams. The orangey yellow cover of the literature textbook, and the good looking teacher with the knowing eyes. Tenten's back radiating uncertainty. The subtle heat radiating from beside, the lean figure folded behind the seemingly small desk. Sasuke, slouched, bored. Fifty minutes of Catch 22. Fifty minutes of sussing out what the other one was thinking of without actually communicating. Then the filing out, the twisting hallways and the noisy lines in the cafeteria. The seamless way some of our kind mingled with the naivetes. Neji with his soda and his smile. Yurie with the lunch tray, and Ryuha with the Inuzuka senpai waving from the fields next to the dining hall. Maybe spotting the neutrals, Shikamaru, Temari and Kankuro, each deep in talk. Maybe seeing Sasuke standing in line, with the Inuzuka selected and the small Uchiha girl trailing after them. The bickering. The normal yet abnormal routine, away from White Nights.

And this time, that would make the world of difference.

* * *

(**Bloodiedsugs's words on WNSS-**

I personally think you don't really have to read the "extra" chapters to follow the story.

But it does help in understanding the characters, and seeing the few background stories that goes on in Konoha. And also, it's fun exploring how these characters lived (or changed) in their younger years. Also a helpful device in portraying the working system within Konoha.

In dealing with problems and conflicts, sometimes even a single conversation is crucial to the development of a character, especially with characters like Amano and Ryuha. They are made up, and therefore; easier to confuse and forget. I'd say the main difference between those two (except for the obvious "well one's a Hyuuga and one's a Inuzuka." non sequitur lol) is that Ryuha is more down to Earth. They both prefer peace and they are both easy going. But with Ryuha it's easier to spot, what he's feeling inside, what he's thinking about. He's definitely more vocal too.

But with Amano, it's more unclear. And while Ryuha maintains a good relationship with his peers and family, Amano is considered more of a black sheep. With strength, I'd put Amano above Ryuha since he would have been the selected, had it not been for his personality.

Also with the main characters: Hinata will definitely be more assertive from now on, and I'm bringing more people in with the next arc, people like Gaara and Kakashi sensei.

And just to wrap things up before I rush into a new arc: some common themes & issues and... not so common ones you might've missed or forgot:

- Hinata wants to belong. She wants a place she can call her own, even if it means exposing herself to danger by remaining in Konoha. She feels strongly that her family of four was never really a family, more like an odd forced together sort of group.

- Sasuke can be impulsive, it's in his nature to charge into something without thinking it through completely. But usually, he is too smart and reserved to do so. Also, he's never quite sure of what he's feeling inside. (including that odd mixture of guilt, remorse, and hate he feels for Neji + mixture of brotherly love, exasperation and hate he feels for Itachi)

- Neji always means his best, but sometimes lacks the power to comprehend what's beyond his compact world of rules. In other words, he's a perfect selected, but not the most open minded person. Yet he is intuitive, sharp, and infinitely loyal to ones he consider friend and family.

- Kiba seems to loathe his brother Amano, and also seems to envy Sasuke to a certain degree. This is partially due to the fact that Amano, in acting out of place, had dumped the selected job on him. And Sasuke seems too idealistic to a disillusioned Kiba. But he will grow up, and learn to move on.

- Uchiha Miharu seems to be a little bitch, but if you read carefully, you can tell she sort of cares for Sasuke. And although she's twisted, it's more due to the fact that she's young and irrational than it's like she's psycho, like Nahoko. She too, will grow up in time.

-And you might have noticed. Within the selecteds and the younger generation, the line between Hyuuga and Uchiha is very distinct. There's a defining mood that permeates from each group, and no one tries to mix except for the two pairs: Hinata & Sasuke + Amano & Ryuha. But when you get to the elders, it's all a blur. Like every elder is like the other. It's more politics then- never mind the rules, they make the rules. They only haggle and bargain with the younger generation, almost like they're betting who can walk off with more.

God this was long. But I'm updating faster...lol.

Bear with me. )


	34. Outsiders

"_**The **__**White Nights**__** describes the few weeks around the summer solstice during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. The sun does not set until late at night, and twilight lasts much longer."**_

* * *

Temari sat in the alcove with an open book, her sharp eyes not on the page her hand was positioned on, but upon the courtyard of the school.

Students were milling about, gossiping in front of the gates without a sense of urgency. A few girls stood almost directly beneath the rocky nook she was reclined in, oblivious to the hawk-like neutral who sat above them with a picky look.

A boy erupted in laughter after being told a particularly crass joke about a teacher. A few seniors huddled around in a serious discussion about the upcoming tests. Two young girls stood in the morning sun, taking shots of each other with a Polaroid.

Among those laid back naivetes were the few scattered selecteds, finally in school on time, supposedly after an unwarranted holiday.

A seemingly bored Sai entered the gates with an inscrutable look on his face, waving an odd hello at Temari who returned the wave reluctantly; he spotted her too easily. It could seem weird to others, like he was waving at the birds or something. The niche she'd fit her lithe body into was small, and rather high up. No naivete in his or her right mind would try climbing into it- too dangerous. But then again, this was Sai, and oddity was never an issue for him. He was from a different mold to begin with.

A few minutes later, Ino and her pack of Yamanakas flocked at the main entrance, ignoring the fact that they were blocking half the path. She might have sensed Temari, but chose to walk through without much show, only slowing a little to shoot a curious look at the stony junior building. Yamanaka Jun blinked and looked around once, entering the freshman building without giving much thought to his surroundings. He was only dimly aware that the watcher team was observing him from different vantage point of the school, but this was only due to knowledge of the traditions that followed every year after a bout of White Nights. It was much like a homeroom check, only less vigorous, for the only thing they had to do was show up-never mind if they weren't on time. From way across the courtyard, on top of the freshman building, sat Kankuro, his body folded against the metal rails that dangled slightly above the open top of the structure where Hinata first had the unpleasant encounter with the Inuzukas. Tapping his fingers to the music that blared from his headphones, he cracked his fist, hardly bothering to see if the crude pencil marks on his sheet added up.

Yet another five minutes- Amano entered languidly, followed by Ryuha. Both kept a bit of distance from each other as if to resist conflict on their first proper day after the White Nights fiasco, but Kiba was not here to rouse up another brotherly feud. That was, sort of expected. They both looked up at the alcove and met eyes with her, blending through the crowd of naivetes like magic. The two tall boys disappeared through the junior building.

Kankuro signaled at her, pointing at his watch, indicating it was nearing homeroom time. She nodded and motioned at him to go on; she'd just stay a few minutes more. There was plenty of time. Her brother nodded and slipped through the rails, pausing to see if anyone had noticed. He flipped down to his building in a flash. She spotted a group of Inuzukas as soon as he left, with another few Uchihas in tow, Miharu simpering in front with her round bright eyes fixed upon the nook Temari was up in. Check.

Before she chose to move, a group of first year Aburames entered, followed by Shino, a quiet group. Shino noticed her right away as well, but chose to nod slightly instead of waving outright. She nodded back, and mindlessly ran a list through her mind.

So far, so good. There wasn't much trouble on the first years' end, and mostly everyone had arrived on time. Things were going smoothly.

Except for the real reason she was here.

The second bell rang.

* * *

**White Nights: Summer Solstice**

**Chapter 5- Beauty of Oblivion**

**(Session#1–Outsiders)**

* * *

**(Konoha High)**

Hinata entered the school gates without much fanfare, clutching her books to her chest.

She was running a bit late, but it couldn't be helped. She purposely dawdled so that Neji and Yurie would go ahead without her despite their worried harried looks. She had enough of their coddling. She also had enough of Neji staring at her sometimes like he did not know who she was anymore. And she could not stand the way everyone seemed to eyeball her a little, staring her like a former specimen gone mad. As if she's lied, about having been a naivete. There was a certain distance, and she could not comprehend how far she was from her former self.

Having being told time and again about the divided sectors within the school ground, she took extra care not to get lost like she did the first time. And miraculously, she hadn't encountered any cocky looking maroon heads so far, so maybe she was doing okay. But was the homeroom Room 304? Or Room 403? This would have been hilarious if it weren't for the fact that she really had no one to check with. A group of Aburame girls she knew by sight passed her by with a few curious looks, but she couldn't bring herself to ask them.

Without even Tenten to accompany her, she felt, might as she tried, a tad bit lonely. It was obvious how awkward things would be between the two now, but it didn't seem fair. None of the naivetes really warmed up to the timid girl. They played plenty of attention no doubt, but even the naivetes knew there were some sort of tight cliques (or so they thought) involved in the school, and the Hyuugas were big on cliques. So she remained on the fringes.

The second bell rang.

Now she really had to decide fast. Room 304, or 403? Yurie or Neji, or even Ryuha would have accompanied her...had she thought to ask! Hinata trotted towards the direction of the stairs, chiding herself at the mistake. She didn't want any of them to baby her, but this was a stupid careless mistake on her part. She didn't want to stand out any more than she already did by arriving late for homeroom.

She started to run.

* * *

**(Sophomore Building, Level 4)**

God he was thirsty.

The second bell had already rung, prompting him to rush to class, but he was thirsty. It was a ridiculously happy-go-lucky sunny, stifling morning, and he hadn't bothered with a shortcut on his way to school. Sweat shone on his forehead as he rammed the bottle on the first water fountain he reached and filled the bottle halfway. He downed the bottle of water in a flash, sticking it under the tap again as he swallowed. He pushed down on the cool metal button and eyed the thin stream of water that trickled into the plastic rim. No hurry. A tardy would look bad, but it wasn't as if he was cavorting with the devil...or worse, a Hyuuga. He drank deep.

He noticed right away the light footsteps that echoed behind him. The footsteps began fast and light, tapping against the tiles of the floor. But then it dwindled to a hesitant crawl as it approached the water fountains.

Sasuke turned to the source of the footsteps, and offered it a greeting.

"...You're tardy you know."

Even as she cringed, Hinata's heart jumped in joy for the first time this morning. Finally, someone addressed her in a normal, everyday manner. After days of coddling and odd stares, not to mention the morning walk where everyone ignored her, this was a welcome difference.

"But so are you."

Sasuke raised his brow at the unexpected comeback, and took his bottle off the fountain. Water had overflowed and wet his shoes. He kicked off the moisture and replied:

"But this is our sector. You're trespassing. "

"But no one's around... it's class time. "

"So we're under false pretenses, big deal. Class time is not the issue here. "

He started to walk away, his cheeks flaming for no reason. It wasn't anger, but he felt like he had to get out of here fast ...before he made a mistake. But what mistake?

"But I thought this was our sector..."

He stopped, turned, and gave a her a look. He scrutinized her as if he would a car.

"So you finally memorized the school sectors. It's probably for the best."

The last sentence sounded hollow, as if he was convincing himself. Hinata stared quietly at the tiled floors, trying to fathom the workings of his mind. He looked too blank and dull to be Sasuke, like he couldn't bothered to get mad at her anymore. He sounded as if he purposely did not care. Was he avoiding her? In any case, it looked like he would move away soon, so she quickly blurted out:

"Sasuke... can I ask...? Why did Haruno Sakura put me in the dome? It's like it was a taboo question: no one would tell me why... what did I do wrong?"

He paused again. Her questions were like treading on ice. Shaking his head, he muttered under his breath:

"Why the hell do you assume you did wrong..."

"What?"

"...You did nothing, it was my fault. My fault and an hefty mistake on Haruno's part. Period. And just in case you forget, we're both late."

Without looking back, he raised his right fist. On his wrist was the face of an analog watch. She couldn't tell the exact time, but it was obvious they were both pretty late. So she figured her initial idea of blending in with the mass had gone down the drain. But class time did not matter now that she'd come face to face, alone, with Sasuke. There were so many questions she had, and no one answered. They always shied away from her inquiries. Sasuke was her best bet.

As always.

"Then just one more thing-!"

She ran to keep up with his speedy lanky steps and managed to get a grip on the corner of his shirt. He stood abruptly like a robot and looked down. He stood at least a head and a half taller than her; not as tall as Neji, but it still strained her neck to look up directly at his face from his side. He looked down at her then hastily raised his head, his eyes fixated at a school ad campaign pamphlet stuck on the walls.

"What."

She released him.

"I just...wanted to ask... What's with the key...?"

She struggled with her load as she attempted to fish the key out from her breast pocket. He silently watched her struggle, then swooped down and removed the load from her before it all clattered to the floor. It was an unexpected gesture and her own cheek flared, but she managed to retract the brass key and raise it to his face.

Sasuke grimaced inside—fuck, the key. How stupid of him to have given it to her in front of all that…people watching.

"...it was just."

He paused. If he tried explaining to her now, it would take the entire afternoon, up to the night. The two of the standing there in front of the water fountain, him gabbing away as they remained the stagnant holdup in the hallways as the students milled around in a fast-forward motion. He pondered, then thought: maybe that wouldn't be so bad.

But let's get realistic. It would be bad enough to be caught in the hallways missing class, and with a Hyuuga girl to boot. Think of what will ensue, taking into factors that resulted from the previous White Nights. Think of the reactions. Fantastic. He didn't even want to think of what Kiba's face would look like if he found out. Come to think of it, he couldn't picture exactly how Kiba would react. It's been some time since he had met up with his former best friend, and it looked like Kiba himself was laying low as well.

"It's just something, spur of the moment gesture type of thing. Don't think too much into it."

He was actually curious of what her reactions would be like, had he taken care to explain the motives behind his actions. But again, let's be realistic.

It would've been a million times better for the others if he'd given the key to Haruno, but everyone knew that wasn't going to happen. Even Sakura knew.

"...is that really all there is to it? "

He felt like scratching his head. She really knew how to ask questions that had no answers.

"...do you want it back? Or, I could safe keep it for you until you want it back, if that's what you want."

This was the timid Hinata speaking again, and Sasuke's frustration bubbled out.

"No. Are you for real? Jesus...it's just this stupid, thought I had at the moment. Look, can't you just hold on to it and assume it's just a keepsake from your, i don't know, mother or something? "

Hinata laughed unexpectedly at the uncanny image of Sasuke as her mother. It left him confused. Sasuke took a step back, ready to run. Nice that she laughed, but did he already make a mistake? He wasn't that much coherent. And he had been crass again just this very moment, but seeing that she laughed, she'd taken it lightly? She never seemed to mind his ugly attitude. Or... uh... shit.

His head's gone nuts.

"...and by the way. Your class is on the third floor."

He walked away briskly, leaving her in a silent curious daze. She had more words crammed up in her throat, but it seemed worth it to watch his back as he walked away. Then she broke out of her daze and panicked.

He'd taken all her things with him in his haste.

* * *

**(Freshman Building, Level 3)**

Kiba walked in on his pack of Inuzukas inside an should-be empty freshman classroom. There was the usual pack: Touru, Kazu, Kei, and even Kaoru who seemed to be tossing her basketball randomly at people who walked in. This time, it was Kiba, and she chucked the ball at him with all her force. Blocking it easily, he went to sit down on one of the chairs amidst a boisterous cheer led by Touru. Their selected hadn't been himself lately, and they were all cheered to see Kiba make at least an effort to blend in again.

Touru leaned over towards Kiba as he passed on the ball back to Kaoru again.

"Oi, hear about Lee?"

"Lee? "

Kiba echoed back. Kazu snorted at the mention of the Haruno boy, and leaned back on his chair.

"The Haruno twerp hadn't been around here ever since school properly started up again. We figure it's because of Miss Haruno selected being in a house arrest and all, but... just checking up."

Kiba blinked. Right, Sakura was on house arrest.

He did have a vague idea of why Lee was staying clear of the Inuzuka den; the poor kid must be dying of accomplice's remorse. He didn't have to mention 'that' to these kids right here. Honestly, they were all his kin and they all knew how to appreciate a funny joke when they saw one, but things always got a little out of hand when the Inuzukas got involved. Especially when it was on someone else's expense. Better stay clammed up.

"Nah. I bet the kid's gotten tired of being the odd one out."

It was plausible, and they all bought it.

"But really, it's getting seriously boring here without anyone to pick on. Think we should recruit?"

"Recruit who? You think there anyone who excel at being a Haruno than Haruno Lee?"

The five of them guffawed minus Kiba, who only pretended his mirth at the direct jab at the Haruno line. Yes, the Harunos were mostly seen as a cowardly and somewhat pretentious line, but they saw with their own eyes, of Haruno going down for Sasuke didn't they? They didn't see Lee trying to testify right there with his sister, so they shouldn't know about that, but still. The jokes didn't register anymore. Nor did they seem that much funny.

Touru picked on the glum vibes emanating from their selected and quickly turned the subject away from the Harunos.

"Say, what about Jun? That skinny freshman kid? The one that looks like a girl. He takes classes with you doesn't he Kei?"

Inuzuka Kei blinked then slashed a quick veto.

"You don't mean Yamanaka Jun. Ino senpai would be down on our asses like a hawk if we ever toy around with that kid."

"Fuck. You're so right, that would be a nightmare...but then who should we recruit? Any ideas?"

"Tamura?"

"Not worth the effort. We'd have more fun with an inchworm. Any more ideas?"

Kazu shrugged then attempted to snatch the ball from Kaoru's hands. She rolled her eyes and chucked it at his face, but before it hit target Touru had intercepted the ball while Kei stood laughing.

"What are you laughing at?"

Kazu sort of snarled, and began to conjure up an insult, then stopped himself just in time. It just didn't do.

Kei, if challenged, would definitely fight back, unlike Lee. The kid might've had a green name tag, but he was an Inuzuka freshman. That made a lot of difference. Those dog-headed kids would go down fighting, happy to have a swipe at a senpai any day. Inuzuka Kei just smiled on, realizing what had just taken place, and what had not. Touru good-naturedly slapped Kazu's back as he threw the ball back to Kaoru. She caught it and started up another intent conversation about her run-in with a Aburame girl down at the basketball court.

Kiba remained stoic, standoffish. He knew right off that it wasn't just Lee's presence they were missing, or (even though they didn't really say so) Sakura's. They were missing something more and they all knew it.

They've been talking for over ten minutes without having mentioned Sasuke and...'that Hyuuga girl' who wasn't a naivete anymore. It just might have been a coincidence, but he knew they were all a little uneasy about the whole deal. It was their head selected they were talking about. They couldn't just mouth him off, not when he ranked higher up than their direct authority, Kiba. But they sure as hell couldn't just forgive Sasuke for having turned on them during the White Nights battle. The way he quickly wiped off one thirds of their fighting unit...impressive, yes, but hardly praiseworthy considering the reasons behind his actions.

"...Kiba, we actually have something, we'd like to discuss."

Touru suddenly spoke up, and Kiba broke out of his thoughts. He hadn't realized they've all been silent for some time.

"Discuss? Discuss what? "

"Uh...don't take this the wrong way, but you sort of know how the Hyuuga line is laughing at us nowadays. "

The look on their faces darkened, and Kiba realized the Hyuuga line had been borderline taunting in earshot, about Sasuke having a soft spot for their prize faux-naivete, Hyuuga Hinata. No wonder they all looked pretty riled up; the quick temper in their blood would never let this sort of insult pass by.

"I think I know what you're talking about."

"Right. And we fucking hate that sort of shit. So we want to get a little even with them. "

"...even?"

Touru shrugged uneasily, as if what he would say might anger Kiba.

"Not really get even but, it's kinda deeper than that. What I'm making now, is a...kind of a proposal."

Proposal...?

Kiba suddenly recalled with some distaste, the "proposal" Uchiha Miharu had offered during White Nights. Jesus, what was it with people and proposals? It just all seemed such a fucking nuisance. Let the elders make the proposals, negotiations and whatnot. Proposals, getting even; same thing. What's got to be deeper than that, he wondered sarcastically. He was sick of it all.

"...What proposal?"

* * *

******(Sophomore Building, Level 4)**

Literature class was almost at an end, and Hinata was on her last nerves.

She so desperately wanted to have a proper chat with Sasuke as she did before, it was almost physical torture. Fate has kindly decided that she should not have friends. Didn't she at least deserve this? Just a nice chat with somebody who didn't see her a downright phony and a freak?

"...and Assignment sheet two and three and four will be up on the school archive, so please download the lot and turn them in by Thursday via mail."

Hatake sensei underlined the scrawled assignment thrice and ended class. A few naivete boys groaned at the workload as they grabbed their book bags and stuffed in their paltry notes. The clownish boy called Rock Lee made an exaggerated moan. Tenten fled the classroom almost as soon as the bell rang, and the rest filed out slowly. It was lunch time anyways, no need to hurry.

Sasuke himself packed slowly (he had returned her books to her silently at the beginning of class) and stood up without acknowledging her much. It pained her to see this, but it also made her more determined to get him to talk. She gathered her notebooks at a fast speed and was about to follow Sasuke out of class when a large hand cupped her shoulders and stopped her.

"Hinata. May I have a talk with you."

The low voice demanded closure on something. Sasuke turned, and his eyes briefly flickered at this interaction, but then he walked out. Hinata turned slowly to face the teacher; even his good looking face did not put her in a better mood. What could he possibly want with her? She'd better not be failing anything, because if she was, she'd-

"I hear you're not a naivete anymore."

She flinched. So it was to be "this" kind of talk. She was a little alarmed at first; she hadn't realized Kakashi sensei was involved. He seemed so much the quiet type that mostly kept to himself. She never spotted him among the elders, nor did the kids mentioned that their eye candy of a teacher ever really had much to do with...this all.

"...I guess I'm not. "

His eyes, two quiet gray pools of ice dulled.

"That means you're behind. "

"...behind?"

She looked up and met his serious eyes, the scar that ran vertically from his lids to his cheek ever so more distinct. Hatake Kakashi set down his workbook, and sat lightly on his desk, motioning her to sit as well.

"You're a sophomore in Konoha high. And you're not a naivete. Do you know what that means in this village, Hinata? "

"...I don't know... "

"It means you're part of the fighting force. You're a candidate for White Nights, a predetermined participant. "

She froze in her seat, and her numb hands dropped two thirds of the books she'd been carrying. Before the lot tumbled to the floor, Kakashi was over there in a flash, the books all neatly piled on top of his hands. One of his knees against the floor, he handed the books back to the terrified girl. He smiled wearily.

"I know you're scared. You had quite a fright there inside Gaara's dome. You shouldn't have been there, not without proper training. "

"...training? "

"I'm sorry to say, once you're in this fold, it's impossible to get out. So you have no choice but to go along with the system we have implemented in this village. Come summer solstice, you'd be marched up to No Man's Land and ushered into the dome. You'd line up with your line, the Hyuugas, the Aburames, the Uzumakis and so forth in the east sector of the forest. And you'll fight. You're going to have to face the Uchiha line."

The words hit her like a five ton truck. She knew giving up her naivete status would be dangerous, but she hadn't foreseen it would be this horrific. She'd have to face the maroon headed dauntless Inuzukas. She'd have to face the icy aloof Yamanakas. She's have to face Sakura, who brought this upon her. God forbid, she might have to face Sasuke.

"Hinata? Can you hear me?"

The warm hand shook her lightly and she snapped out of it.

"Look. I'm going to help you. You're not just going to be forced into the dome, none of the such."

"...but... you did just say, that I'd have to-"

Kakashi mentally smacked himself.

"Well yes. You will have to go in. But when you do, I promise you'd be ready. You'd be able to take care of yourself. Starting of tomorrow, I'll train you personally. I'll see to it that you be able to defend your body at the very least."

"I won't be a burden?..."

He was a little taken aback by the question. His was firm as he reassured her.

"You won't. I'll make sure of that. You might even help your line, if anyone should be in a tight spot. That sound alright to you?"

Hinata blinked. And suddenly realized she was blinking back tears.

She asked in a small voice:

"...are you going to make me useful?"

Kakashi cocked his head in puzzlement. The girl was near tears, but he didn't know if it was from fear or...

"...cuz I'd really...really, like that."

Hatake Kakashi, and Uchiha Sasuke, who'd been eavesdropping on the conversation just out the door, both hung their heads. They both weren't much good at seeing a girl or a woman cry. Girls crying always brought about a sense of uneasiness, like they really couldn't do anything about anything. But Hinata was smiling through her tears, and that brought upon much more confusion to the preferably simple idea they'd had about the act of crying. Sasuke, even though he was outside, could see her crying childishly like she had so many times in front of him. But it did not rile him up anymore because he'd seen what she had behind those tears. She was not just some naive cowardly idiot.

It's just that no one gave her a chance.

"Well..."

Kakashi finally found his words as he gave her the compliment he'd given to Nara Shizuka, all those years ago.

"You're braver than you look, do you know that? You're a brave kid."

Hinata smiled broadly. And there was the sound of shuffling feet. It seemed like the teacher-student talk was almost over, so Sasuke slowly started down the hallway, and flitted midway to the stairs. But not before he heard her last words. And he smiled despite himself.

"Thank you. I'd like to be that too."

* * *

**(Freshman Building, Level 3)**

"...are you nuts...?"

"I'm, no "we're" serious Kiba. Look, even the neutral line seems to be teaming up with the Hyuugas, we're definitely in the wrong here! We need some balancing!"

Kiba faced Touru with an skeptical scowl.

"What d'you mean the neutral line is teaming up with the Hyuugas? I don't see Temari, Shikamaru or Kankuro going out of their ways to diss us? Or you're not saying Subaku Gaara is waltzing out of his mansion on his crutches and cavorting with the Uzumakis?"

Kaoru shook her maroon bob and butted in.

"Well there's always been that stupid student council thing. They at least have a good rapport there, at least among themselves. It's sickening. "

Kiba groaned.

"Seriously Kaoru, that council thing is just an act, isn't that a given?"

"And to top it off, we heard about Kakashi."

"...what? ...You mean Hatake sensei?"

Having rolled him in, Touru hastily continued:

"You know a few decades back, the Hatake clan was wiped out on a rampage on our side?"

"...yeah...yeah, actually I do. But what has that got to do with, balancing, or whatever you're calling this? "

Touru lowered his head and spoke rapidly in an undertone. It was obvious he had this all thought out.

"Well, only two survived out of that massacre, and that was Hatake Kakashi, then 9, and Hatake Sakumo, his father. After that fiasco, there was that huge trial and all, even bigger than the one we had for Sasuke. Hatake Sakumo made a treaty with both lines, stressing that they were going to duck out of the whole neutral business after Sakumo has served his final years as the watcher. That was both his sentence and his wish, to be dropped off from the town's hierarchy. I bet Kei and quite a few of the younger generation don't know nothing about this, but before that shit happened, there were three neutral families in Konoha: Nara, Subaku, and..."

"...Hatake. "

Kiba grimly finished the sentence. He'd heard the stories and picked up a few grim details from pieced conversations that the elders and his uncle had had.

The three families used to go around with taking the main watcher role, with Hatake being the watcher, then Nara, then Subaku, then back to Hatake again. But during Sakumo's term, a huge argument had blown up between the Hyuuga line and the Uchiha, and Sakumo had sided up with the Hyuugas. No one specified what had exactly triggered the argument, but this much was clear: the Uchiha elders were livid. They felt the unspoken rules had been broken, and the cogs that had held up the precarious White Nights system crashed. The Uchiha line got hold of the then dome keeper, a young Subaku girl, and forced her to build a dome around the Hatake residence while the massacre took place.

Many casualties. But none was much questioned, for quite a lot of the people agreed that Sakumo had made a mistake in so blatantly siding up with the Hyuugas.

Seeing the conflicted look on Kiba's face, Touru pushed on.

"They're supposed to be neutrals aren't they? They're breaking the rules. I mean, look at Hatake Kakashi's background. The treaty clearly dictates that he should officially quit and sever all ties with the White Nights business, but see how he's been! "

Kazu swerved in and added a few words of his own:

"Shit, I still remember when that Nara Shizuka topped herself. They could've just put Shikamaru on that role, but nooo, Kakashi had to get involved didn't he?"

"Yeah. Who's to say he hasn't got a few ideas of his own? Ambition? Such as revenge on our line? Think about it Kiba."

Kaoru threw her ball down on the floor and stepped up.

"We all have a really bad feeling about Hatake Kakashi "volunteering" to teach Hyuuga Hinata. I'd say the elders has gone soft in the head. He's dangerous."

"Nah, the "entire" watcher team looks fishy to me. Those lot, always thinking high of themselves and all. Fuck them. "

"It ain't like we're doing this just for fun Kiba. We have our reasons. But we can't do anything without the consent of our selected, can't we?"

Touru cautiously studied the Inuzuka selected's face.

"You in?"

* * *

**(bloodiedsugs30's words on WNSS)**

Arc 5, and this time, it's Sasuke and Hinata's story.

The other arcs, although it involved Sasuke and Hinata, were equally focused on other characters, especially Shikamaru and Kiba. But I swear Arc 5 will revolve around SasuHina, mostly because now they have room to grow out their relationship. Everything's a little more laid back now they're back in school, and they also happen to have one more thing in common: they've both become outcasts of sorts for various reasons.

One more thing: I know some of you might be disappointed that Hinata isn't some super powered awesome heroine...but I wanted to portray the Hinata that I'd come to love in the original Naruto series. Sweet, timid and bold, a loyal girl who knows to stand by her beliefs. Someone who knows the virtue of self-sacrifice, someone who's not a downright genius, but who develops her inner strength as well as her outer one. I do promise though, by the end of the story, she'd be someone you'd all be proud of, even more than you are of her now.

Kakashi sensei and Gaara will also take more part in Arc 5. Thank you for reading.

Bear with me.


	35. YouthBliss

"_**The **__**White Nights**__** describes the few weeks around the summer solstice during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. The sun does not set until late at night, and twilight lasts much longer."**_

* * *

"If we had it our way, we'd have you locked up forever in disgrace—stupid girl, stupid cunt!"

Haruno Sakura averted her eyes defiantly as the witch of an elder ranted in front of her. For once her face was bare of makeup, and her hair messy. Her knees were scabbed for having kneeled down so much, and for the first time in her life, her healing skills were useless since they weren't going to let her use them.

She found brief relief in thinking Sasuke had been in the same situation as her—a bit of an odd pleasure, but one that made perfect sense in her head because it felt like they were suffering for some higher cause; for example, each other maybe.

"…sis? "

Lee crept into the room, his already pallid face drained of color at her unruly sight. Sakura gave him a disheartening sneer and tightly crossed her arms.

"What."

He crouched down in front of her and laid hands on her knees, his face screwed up in faint concentration. Sakura rolled her eyes. She'd always been the gifted one when it came to healing. Lee was more of a…squirrelly, run-away-before-I-get-hurt kinda type; the kind who never really needed healing because he never was in action. When he removed his hands, faint traces of the scab still remained.

"…they won't let me use my skills. I bet they're going to get you for doing that."

She muttered. Coward or not, he was her brother, and also the unnamed accomplice in most of her schemes.

"…d'you think they're going to let you off easy sis? I mean, the elders seem preoccupied with that Hinata girl. "

"Shut up—of course you had to go and mention 'her.' "

Sakura glowered and measured up Lee's agitation. He might've resented her for all that mattered, but he wasn't going to let it show.

"…sis, you worry about yourself now. Not anything else."

Although it was a touching thing to say, she couldn't give a fuck. She could not bear the fact that she was so far from action, so secluded and isolated—shut away. It was fine—no, even preferable when Sasuke was tucked away. That way, she could be sure where he was. And who was anyone to judge her anyways, she did what she had to do, she stuck up for the boy she meant to be with didn't she? Even if he didn't always return the favor.

A frustrated tear dropped on the musty floor, and as Lee averted his eyes, Sakura seethed. She slapped her thighs with the palm of her hand.

"I want out."

Kiba you fucking hypocrite.

* * *

**White Nights: Summer Solstice**

**Chapter 5- Beauty of Oblivion**

**(Session#2– Youth/Bliss )**

* * *

**(Konoha High-neutral sector)**

When the bell rang, Hinata realized she absolutely had no idea what the teacher was preaching about. All she was doing was plainly staring at Iruka sensei's face, wondering what role he played in this intricate mess that was Konoha, and did he even give a damn about biological magnification and productivity in food chains? It might've been a tad bit more 'useful' if the teachers taught….say, how to flit? Or how to sense danger when it's nearby, or how to metamorphose or whatever the non-naivetes do when their eyes lit up.

As if to sense her distress, Iruka sensei avoided her somewhat desperate glance and let the class out a bit early.

Rushing pass her classmates, she nearly ran to the spot she been before, and was disappointed to see only a gaggle of girls huddled around, gossiping. She sat next to the water fountain, hoping the girls passing by would ignore her presence. Was it so foolish to think Sasuke would have been here? Of course, it wasn't like he was a landmark of some sort—of course he'd have moved. But yet—she still just thought.

"Likewise—we definitely need to catch the game. It's a must. "

"He's fine to watch. Obviously. But that other guy's a bit of a douche, it's just—"

Hinata unintentionally scrunched up, her chin almost colliding with her collar bone.

Tenten brushed pass her, her face hidden under her bangs, and pretended not to see. The numerous footsteps literally hurt her ears, knowing in her heart that she had no friend among those who just passed by. After that it was unbearable to just sit and wait, so she bounded up and headed for her lockers. She arrived and yet again, suppressed a disappointed sigh when she saw her books piled up neatly in front of her locker. Sasuke must've left them there after he realized he'd taken it.

She reached for them limply, when an impatient voice rang from behind.

"Class has been out for 10 minutes. What were you doing?"

She flinched and swept around, her feet tangling in the process.

Sasuke was sitting on the floor, his back to the rows of lockers opposite hers, his left ear shrouded in a headset and his hand toying with his cell phone. He obviously had been waiting for some time.

Scooping the small pile of books to her chest, she gasped.

"Were…were you watching over these?"

"I didn't want to break the damn lock."

Realizing there were naivetes nearby, he purposely made the comment sound ironic, but Hinata now knew; obviously if he had been in a more impatient mood, he'd have broken the metal lock. She hesitantly approached him, wondering if he'd done this out of spite of some sort, but looking at his face she realized—he wanted an excuse to come back and talk to her. He wanted the company for some reason. If he hadn't, he'd have just left the books on the floor and left, not even bothering with the lock. It wasn't just her—he also wanted her company.

It was with some satisfaction Hinata managed to say:

"Thank you. "

The bell rang again, which meant she was to run downstairs to attend math with Ebisu sensei, but Sasuke made no sign of moving and so did she. Dumping her armload of books in her locker, she awkwardly stood in front of him, wondering if she should sit down or attempt conversation or just anything. He seemed equally at loss for words at first, but looked decisively resolute.

"…have you ever seen my locker?"

"…locker?"

It was an odd thing to ask. And somewhat disappointing, although she wasn't sure what she'd been expecting.

"Follow me, I'll show you something. "

* * *

**(Konoha High, neutral sector) **

Funny. Everything was in its place. It did not seem like another White Nights had gone and passed.

Shikamaru swept his hand across the dusty surface of the table. Dust gathered and stuck together, forming a rather compact orb within the flexing shadows he commanded. No wonder the place was so dirty. No one had been bothered with school shit for the last couple of weeks. He considered playing around with the ball of dust for a moment, even pausing to twirl it a little.

He was supposedly on a sick leave, and had been granted free period, yet he wasn't at the nurse's office. Instead, he was at the conference room he used for the mock student council meetings. He only had to wait a few moments for their wavelengths to collide until Temari caught the drift and shimmied down the empty hallways. The door opened just a slit and she slipped in. He rose from his seat to greet her, and she walked on until she was standing barely inches from him. She brushed her palm against his forehead.

She still looked like she couldn't believe he'd gotten away from death.

"Sometimes I wish I was taller. "

"Why's that. "

She shrugged.

"I get sick of having to make you bend down. "

To prove her point, she stepped forwards without lifting her feet. Her hair tickled the base of his chin as her lips made contact with his neck. He was all lazy smiles before finding she had properly buttoned up his shirt and fixed his school tie while she kissed. Her hands deftly straightened up the cuffs of his jacket, and she'd have tucked in his shirt in for him had he not jerked 'her' shirttails out in response.

"Cut that out—you're the head boy. It's your unofficial first day back. You have to look the part for it. You don't have to flaunt your normal self."

"True. But do you?"

He jokingly raised his eyebrow and clasped both hands while his shadow popped open the two top buttons of her shirt. She grimaced at him and pushed him down—gently, just in case—onto the table, shaking off his hands. She buttoned up her shirt. Shikamaru waited silently, his head inclined towards the open window.

She looked up to see the image of the boy she'd fallen in love with, and almost lost. He was definitely a bit hollowed out in his cheeks. He was a little too serene. She couldn't shake the feeling that what he really wanted to do, was to have never woken up, to be done with this all.

"Shika, I—"

"It's worth to be back. "

She was struck dumb, because it was uncanny how he always knew what she was thinking.

"Do you think Sasuke's going to remain the selected? "

"…probably. "

"What about Hinata? What's her place in all this? "

"A wonderful hefty bargain. Bait. The elders will eat her alive, like they did with Kakashi and Gaara and…"

He did not add his name.

"I don't think this will fly with everyone. Sasuke's too friendly with Hinata. It just reminds everyone too much of…"

It seemed dangerous to mention the name here at school with so many open ears, when technically, only the neutrals should know. Of course, she did not count Kakashi and Iruka and Kurenai, and all of those old timers. The past generation needn't more reminders. One Madara was enough.

It was odd to think, close as they were that she and he would marry and have kids and themselves become elders. Before wondering if their child would be boy and girl, she bet he'd worry—would the kid carry the gene? Would the kid have to unwillingly follow in their footsteps?

He'd hate that, she knew.

"It's bound for a change. "

Shikamaru shrugged and buried his head in Temari's neck as her wind fanned out the plastic blinds. They 'will' get back to their duties soon; just a few minutes as oblivious teenagers won't hurt.

* * *

**(Konoha High- Sophomore Building Level 3)**

It was just a locker, like anybody else's.

It was sickly green with chipped paint peeling slightly at the sides, the number 129 faded on its gold mounted plaque. The only difference was the lock. Instead of the standardized lock the school handed out and Hinata used, it was an odd old fashioned type of lock.

"…the key! "

She was a little embarrassed to flick it out at once from her pocket. It would seem like she'd been obsessing over it, carrying around and wondering of its origins. But that was the truth. Sasuke himself did not seem too interested in the key though.

"I'm guessing no one bothered to tell you about the crowl. Who would?—compared to all the bigger details, it's something hardly of importance anyways."

He took the key from her and flung open his locker. Inside, there were a few books, a few notebooks and stacked CDs. Nothing that seemed out of place. Nothing more than an ordinary locker. She turned her head from the open locker to his face and back again, quizzically.

"…it doesn't seem like much, but this is something. "

Sasuke patted the metal frame.

"There was a law passed only two decades ago. Selecteds are granted small patches of space that can be accessed by only its owner, and few others with allowed entrance. There isn't an official name for it, but people had been jokingly referring it to as 'crow's haul'—or abbreviated, 'crowl'. "

"…oh. "

Apparently there were so much more that Hinata had yet to know.

Sasuke continued:

"You have to see, that in Konoha, it's hard to keep even a thought to yourself. People are constantly crashing wavelengths and detecting presence—you're never alone. Especially if you're a selected. There's someone at your tail every other second. "

Sasuke almost ceremoniously placed his hand inside his locker.

"This is all I have. No one's allowed to break in, not even the elders. Not even Itachi. It's a sacred rule. No one dares."

"…and…you're giving me the key? "

He simply nodded, his impassive face refusing to part with any more information.

"The lock is from outside of town, and there is but one key. No one can duplicate the key unless they wrench it from me, and that's not going to happen. "

"Wouldn't…your, I mean, the people at your line—wouldn't they be mad that you're…giving me access to your…well, crowl?"

He began with a pause, seemingly embarrassed—or as embarrassed as he could be.

"I want to get to know you. "

She went red. Seeing her face he rushed ahead.

"We were spied on at our mansion, and everyone took note of us at school. There's not a moment in which we spent completely alone and away. But from what I know, I don't…dislike you, and I need a friend. And it looks like you need one too. "

He put it bleakly but it still put a smile on Hinata's face. She waited happily while Sasuke nonchalantly handed the key back to her, one that would allow access of his crowl. She wondered what they would do next (as friends?) as there was a good half hour left before class was out. She thought to initiate conversation, but Sasuke suddenly straightened and his head whipped to the direction of the stairways.

"Shit."

He snarled and slammed close his locker.

It was the odd pair, the semi pariahs. Ryuha and Amano, obviously having cut class themselves, waved with overbearing smiles. They were standing quite motionless, and possibly had heard a good portion of the conversation.

"Don't you worry your head Hinata. We'll pretend we didn't hear that."

Good-naturedly, Ryuha inclined his head towards the two, and Amano ironically raised a peace sign. It was at this moment that Hinata fully realized the impossible yet balanced bond of their relationship. She'd never given it much thought before. Ryuha was just the odd cousin brother, who 'fraternized with the enemy'—but that sounded like child's play. Cross that line and you're 'it'.

She meekly countered.

"I… I just can't believe you two are friends despite this all."

Amano locked eyes with Ryuha, and they both nodded in good humor.

"We're both thinkers not doers. And as bad as that sounds, I feel like there are too many non thinking doers in this town. And we're both sort of odd balls of our bunch, so obviously it was easier to seek out each other."

"Kinda like what's happening here."

Sasuke sourly eyed the two and hinted towards himself and Hinata. He visibly bristled though at the implication that he resembled the other two outcasts. Ryuha grinned.

"Boy, you must be the ultimate pariah, kid. It ain't a bad thing, so get rid of that scowl. But not the best thing in the world, innit? "

Sasuke merely turned his head. He daren't shake his head and admit this was what was going on. Ryuha nodded sagely.

"That kid, the one that damn near killed me. He used to be your best friend, didn't he? The one that goes around with the bunch of his kin like a pack."

"My brother. "

Amano added drily.

"You don't hang around with him much anymore. Nor do I see that Haruno girl prancing around you all the time. Funny thing—I see Hinata with you all the time. Ain't that odd."

Hinata flinched softly. A part of her felt guilty, the kind of guilt you feel when you're young and you know you're caught doing something you're mustn't do. Yet another part of her felt the guilty pleasure, the one you acquire as your adult self pushes through puberty. Sasuke however, considered this a veiled warning.

"…are you threatening me? Is this some subtle Hyuuga way of telling me to fuck off from Hinata—cuz I already had enough of that from your cousin brother."

Sasuke spat out and stood as if to bound pass them, or stay and engage in something more aggressive. Hinata sensed—she could sense him—Sasuke's eyes dilating, and flashing up red.

She'd come to realize that sometimes, he did not even mean to. It just lit up on its own accord when he was ticked off. Ryuha raised his hand, his lips drawn thin. .

"Simmer down—no wonder you were friends with Kiba. You both have very short tempers, no?"

He flung his hand sideways, indicating he meant something completely different.

"What we wanted to tell you, is to lay low. Like us. You keep going on like this, it's not going to look great, especially with Uchiha boy here being the head selected."

"…Itachi's been asking about you Sasuke. He's not happy. "

Amano added gruffly, his mellow eyes averting Sasuke's blood red ones. Sasuke smiled scathingly.

"He's never happy—that's doesn't qualify as news. "

Amano sighed and met the boy's eyes. No lime hued light reflected from his irises—his eyes remained mellow. Sasuke again ruefully noted the similarities in Amano's features and Kiba's.

"Nevertheless, we're not saying this to tick you off. There's so much that they took away from you when you were made main selected, but you know that you were given license to things you couldn't, hadn't dared before. If the elders believe that you'd switch alliances somewhat, they can take away so much more. "

Ryuha's eyes flicked to the closed locker then pointedly locked themselves at Sasuke's neck. Amano, having said what he meant to say, merely tugged Ryuha's collar indicating they should leave. Hinata uneasily watched Ryuha smile apologetically at her, and watched the two gangly boys walk away. As they were about to make a left turn leading to the cafeteria, Amano stepped back and beckoned casually. When pair's attentions were caught, he blithely offered this sentiment:

"No matter what they say you know, you two would make a very cute couple. "

Ryuha guffawed and whooped at that, and they both slinked away, convulsing as if they'd made a very good joke. Hinata vaguely sensed their presence fading from proximity, and bent her head furiously, afraid her face might explode. She was never the violent one, but she could kill Amano for that.

And the awkward silence grew, like Shikamaru's shadow, billowing and encasing them.

"Hey."

It was he who made the first move though, bringing his face in without an ounce of hesitation.

His index and thumb barely grazed her chin as his lips met hers and she was surprised—not by the kiss itself—but at the fact that it was so gentle and mild when she expected everything to be angry and forceful. Not that she disliked the anger; it was a definite part of him, one that allowed him to remain the cocky fighter long after his supporters bailed out.

But this, this was different, something she hadn't expected, something she'd just found out, and it was with acute delight that she convulse and accepted the kiss—her first kiss as it happened to be—because Sasuke had parted with another secret of his that he didn't know he was keeping. And if he trusted her enough to flash her this, not really vulnerable but completely different side, then maybe she knew him enough now to know: he's really just a guy, he's really just a boy too, and he's really, just human.

* * *

**(Konoha High Freshmen Building Level 3)**

The door flew open with a massive crash and Kiba strolled out, his face set. An edgy Touru followed in his wake, opening and closing his mouth with no words falling out of it for once. They could hear Kazu swearing and the rest standing tensely by.

"Jesus Kiba—what is wrong with—"

"I've been thinking. "

"Huh? "

Kiba halted abruptly, causing Touru to almost crash into his back. He turned around with a tight smile.

"It might be fine to be a Haruno for once and run off like some measly coward. Or be a Tamura and live it up as boring as an inchworm. Being an Inuzuka sucks."

Touru scrunched up his face in effort to pinpoint the underlying meaning within this ridiculous diatribe. The timing was amazingly bad. He shook his head and swiped at his neck roughly with the side of his palm, wishing the Inuzuka selected would cut it out—he was making them look bad. Anyone who was around who wasn't a naiveté could hear in on this.

"I don't know what's gotten into you Kiba ever since the last White Nights, but listen—"

Touru whispered furiously, anxiously:

"This time it's not just us playing around. We're not merely joking—we really thought this through an awful lot! We wouldn't have told you if we thought it all was bogus, some bullshit. There's no reason to fly off the handle and say all that shit that we're crap and that you'd rather be with a bunch of losers. "

Kiba kicked off in a sprint, not even acknowledging Touru's comeback. He was too angry to recall he had to watch himself in school, lest a naiveté saw it flit. He was in half motion when he noticed an unusual presence nearby, and screeched to a stop near the cafeteria, his eyes widening. He turned back and jogged down the hall where it met the entrance doors.

"…what the hell are you doing here…?"

The wind had swept the boy's rusty hair back, and for once, his icy blue eyes were revealed for the world to see. He was balanced on his crutches but seemed so in place and at ease; Kiba did not even register them at first. He almost took a step back at the sight of the dome keeper.

"I thought you weren't allowed to flit in school grounds unless it was after six. Or have the rules changed since I was here? "

Kiba was so thrown off he immediately forgot why he had stormed downstairs in a mad rush. Gaara eyed him in cold silence, shifting weight on his crutches, eyeing the Inuzuka selected to seemed to have clammed up.

"Did you know? I've decided to come back to school. "

It was such an unexpected word out of an unexpected appearance that Kiba merely shrugged, indicating he did not know. He bet no one would have guessed. A lot of people had forgotten about the dome keeper ever since the accident. Even during White Nights, Gaara was barely noticed, for he was always outside the action.

"Why… come back now? "

He knew it was a bogus question. There might be a million reasons for why Gaara wanted to come back, but was it likely he'd tell an Inuzuka about it? An Inuzuka who was related to the idiots who had mauled his legs? As if he'd read Kiba's mind, Gaara returned the shrug and made an elusive comeback.

"A few people's gone missing. Tied up in…other matters I bet. I decided to fill the empty spots somewhat. "

He dragged one of his crutches against the floor as if in jest, offering the baffled Inuzuka selected not a smile but a poker face.

"It's good to be back. "

* * *

**(bloodiedsugs30's words on WNSS-**

I'm sorry this was so late, and thank you whoever's been patient enough to wait =)

I've been swamped, and I almost forgot this story, so thank you for prodding me with messages and such!

I realize this isn't a perfect chapter, I wish I'd done a better job on it…but really, I just wanted to upload something after having gone through a loooong period of time of just, nothing. My god. I really suck at organizing. lol.

Hopefully it will get better.

I haven't abandoned this, and I'm sorry for having made you think I did.

Bear with me.


	36. Lessons of Life

"_**The **__**White Nights**__** describes the few weeks around the summer solstice during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. The sun does not set until late at night, and twilight lasts much longer."**_

* * *

When school was out, and the paths were bathed fuchsia by the setting sun, he sometimes sneaked her into the neutral sector of the school. They never turned on the lights, for fear of giving someone the chance to come inside and ask about the lights.

He was never squeamish about holding hands—not anymore. It seemed he was just open to touch; he neither shied away from it nor did he actively seek it out like the boys did outside of Konoha.

"Don't. "

He was though, extra sensitive to some things. He would always wave her off when she traced his scars or asked him about his childhood.

She was infinitely curious about him, but he disliked talking about himself. He was infinitely curious about her, but it was hard to get her talking when she clammed up, especially when it got to her family. He often took a step back in those times, giving her space.

He would sometimes randomly kiss her, or slip her into his embrace, always a little mystified at how easily she gave in, or how unassuming.

With Sakura, he always expected her to push back, to cling, to burst out in tears at his every whim. She'd claw at him when he was younger, back when she still had a degree of contempt for him. She'd sometimes deliberately do a messy job with her healings and taunt him for being hurt in the first place. She never wanted to be stuck with him, the runt of the litter. And he had not known what to do with her except that he had to take her in—isn't that what the elders wanted? But precisely because it was what was expected of him, he resisted.

And somewhere along that line when he started resisting, Sakura stopped, lies all the problems that ensued thereafter.

"…you were engaged. To her. "

Sakura had nearly killed her during the White Nights, but Hinata bore no grudge. It was uncomfortable to mention her name though.

With her head buried between his neck and shoulders, Hinata cautiously blew at the collar of his shirt that was tickling her nose. She immediately regretted broaching the subject, and oddly enough, it was that feeling of envy that prevented her from pursuing the matter. She paused, then blew at the collar once more before feeling foolish and patting it down.

"That's the least of my problems for now. I might as well be killed off according to the charges against me. "

"Don't say that—… "

Hinata pulled away from him and stared back, her open face honest and flushed. Her voice did not waver as she spoke clearly looking into his eyes.

"You always act like you don't care what happens to you… You don't stop to think, that someone else might care. "

It was uncanny how she never stuttered when she was making a strong point. He stuck out his arm and brushed her hair that had nestled in front of her eyes with a perfectly composed face, whereas she nearly jumped and immediately sank to the ground with two bright spots burnings on her cheeks. He almost mentioned—"No one did exactly care before you came along"—but recalled Kiba and Sakura's flushed faces, and figured that might be a bit unfair.

Sasuke did not deny the fact that he to a certain degree enjoyed it when Hinata saw through him and told him off for his offenses. He was still trying to make heads or tails of whether or not she was a brave coward or a cowardly trooper.

And the only worries gnawing at the back of his head was that this was all too perfect, all too easy. It just made his head spin. It was not even as rational a speculation as, say: the elders must know about this.

It was only that he felt too content.

That was unsettling.

* * *

**White Nights: Summer Solstice**

**Chapter 5- Beauty of Oblivion**

**(Session#3– Lessons of life)**

* * *

**(Outskirts of Konoha Village)**

Kakashi walked on casually, his steps naturally slowing to match the girl's slower ones. It was a gorgeous afternoon, and they were on their way to carry out their first lesson.

It was after school, and he had found her in an empty classroom with Uchiha Sasuke sitting next to her, both peering at a textbook. His immediate reflex was to laugh, but he restrained himself and waved Hinata over, eyeing the Uchiha selected mildly. Sasuke did not look back, his legs tangled under the metal chair that he was sitting on rather schoolboy-like—which was completely out of character for him. The Uchiha selected was unusually demure, and he did not protest as Hinata waved him good bye.

Who'd have thought a Hyuuga naiveté could whip the boy into place.

"I assume you don't know a thing about what we're about to do. We're going to leave school grounds first. You need not worry—I'm not on any particular side. I bear no ill will towards you. "

Hinata nodded quaintly at this reassurance, but Kakashi thought he caught a whiff of a snort coming from inside the class they just left. Sasuke wouldn't have been so cheeky had he fully known what the Uchihas had done to the Hatakes. Hinata glanced at Kakashi a little worriedly as she watched him look back with an ironic expression.

"…professor? "

"Well. Let's get a move on. "

The walk was fast paced.

Hinata followed somewhat timidly, pausing now and then to look around, almost sure of an Uchiha or an Inuzuka spy. Actually, she half expected to see Neji following her, his serious eyes trained on her back like a watchful stern father. But he had been aloof ever since the trials and she barely saw him even at home. He wasn't reproachful—just distant. It was the same case with Yurie. Only Ryuha treated her with the same indifferent tone, as if fraternizing with enemy was in the same league as forgetting to do the dishes.

"Are you expecting someone? "

She must've been lost in thought, because Kakashi stood much further ahead, waiting for her at the bend of the road. Embarrassed, Hinata quickly picked up her pace, her furious steps leaving dust and water from the puddles on the road shimmer in its wake. She had to wipe some of the dirt off her ankles and shoes as she stepped into the gates after Kakashi.

There were shrubs everywhere, bonsai that was trimmed meticulously like their owner's orderly neat self. Hinata could almost see Kakashi sensei tending to his garden with a book by his side. The shrubs parted to reveal a modest condo that rested a little out of the main road, well hidden by greenery and a picket fence that ran tall and wide. It seemed a little out of place, and isolated.

The new Hatake residence, which was occupied by only one Hatake.

"I expect this is your first time in my house. Other than No man's land, and perhaps the Nara and Subaku residence, this is possibly the most neutral ground you can find in Konoha. "

Taking off her muddy shoes, Hinata looked up at the tall figure who was already stepping into the living room.

"…sensei, aren't you in any line? I thought…you were in the Hyuuga line. "

He raised his brow at her apt use of the Konoha lingo. Turning on the main light, he answered lightly as he closed an open window.

"You need not know about me personally, other than the fact that I will be teaching and guiding you. But no, I am not in either of the lines. I'm a neutral. "

Hinata blinked. She assumed there were only two neutral family lines in Konoha—Nara and Subaku. It seemed there were too many histories in this land for her to grasp in the span of a few months.

The first thing she noticed upon entering was the tall bookcases that filled the room up to the ceiling. That was saying something—the ceilings were high. There was one particular bookcase that was filled with identical leather bounded books of equal thickness. She peeked at them timidly, and watched as Kakashi went about the room briskly, setting up for class.

His broad back emanated hostility of a kind, and it was hard for her to speak. But his eyes reminded her somewhat, of Sasuke. And that gave her courage.

"Sensei? If …I may ask, what are these books? …"

She fingered the leather bindings curiously—his study was absolutely filled with books, but these looked special. A ladder was propped against the bookcase, and Kakashi came over, casually leaning against it as he picked out a book and handed it to her.

"See for yourself. "

On the top right hand section of the cover, the year 2010-2011 was stamped in gold, as well as the emblem for Konoha high school and middle school. A year before she arrived.

'It's a…yearbook. '

She cracked it open and immediately saw a face she recognized—one of the pale faced raven haired boy who was in the student government, the one who introduced himself as Sai. There were rows of your average yearbook photos, but the page after held pictures of students in everyday lives. There was Sai sitting next to a grinning Naruto and Shino who were flashing the cameras their half eaten bento—each sporting the blue nametags of a freshman. Next to them stood Temari and Shikamaru—who had to be sophomores at this point—with their backs to the camera, their heads together in whisper. Temari's hair was shorter at this point and Shikamaru had bandages wrapped around his wrist—this must have been taken after White Ngihts. Her hands started to shake involuntarily at this point, at having found a source of the past, the past before she had arrived.

Flipping through, she also found the face of a pouting prim Haruno Sakura, whose personal photo was one where she was sitting on a cafeteria table, with two other boys sitting back who were mostly cut off by her torso—it could only be Sasuke and Kiba. Hinata could see a portion of Sasuke's face, which was turned away and expressionless. This made her hands shake more—she could sense Kakashi sensei watching her, but she had to see just a bit more.

"He was in class E. He used to be in my homeroom class. "

Kakashi informed her. She flinched but wordlessly thanked him and quickly flipped the pages to classroom 1-E.

There he was, his chiseled face all hard sharp lines, his eyes angular and his mouth slightly curved and open as if to jeer at the camera. His personal photo was one of him leaning somewhat precariously against the railing of the rooftop, the vastness of the courtyard and the sophomore building looming behind him. Wind had blown his fringe across his forehead, shading a portion of his left eye which was squinted against the sun, and he again, offered the camera not a smile but a poker face. A younger, fresher looking Kiba was next to him sporting a shorter haircut, balanced on the metal bars with his legs dangling casually so that even a slight push might have sent him falling. He was grinning, but might as well have been scowling.

And it was obvious in their mutual likeness, even in the apathetic grimace and the leering smirk—that they were close. That they related to each other like close friends, like brothers.

It suddenly broke her heart to see them apart. Guilt she had not known of crept into the base of her heart as she realized she must be the reason for this breakup.

"…why do you have so many yearbooks in here? "

"To keep track. "

"Track of …what? "

He scanned the bookshelves dispassionately, and slowly looked away.

"Of people. Of students that had come and gone over the years. "

He did not mention the deaths.

"If it does not seem like intruding, I'll ask you a question of my own. What were you doing with Sasuke back there? "

"...professor?"

Kakashi strode over to another bookcase and started picking out folders. There was no ulterior motive in his inquiry. He did not meant to pry, but was genuinely curious. With her hands folded across Sasuke's photo, Hinata murmured back an answer:

"Well…I told him… studying mattered. Outside I mean….that people studied hard to get in to good schools and—then Sasuke suddenly wanted to see for himself…"

Kakashi paused and looked back at her from the corner of the room.

"You have talent in assuming the impossible and disregarding the obvious. "

"…the obvious? "

He set down the book he was holding and enunciated the words:

"Hinata, you're in here for life, do you understand? And that goes the same for Sasuke. Unless—…well, I doubt there would be many exceptions at this point. It's better to think you're in here for life. "

He placed his books on the coffee table as he motioned for her to sit on the chair across from him. He himself did not sit down as he gave her a thoughtful look.

"The outside world does not matter much here. Time runs at a slower pace, and apart for some... eventful dates, no one really cares for time. Not really. "

"Professor—I … I don't know if I'm making everything…worse. For him I mean. "

A pregnant pause.

"Don't you want things to be worse for him? I expect your kin had been drilling that fact into you, that the Uchiha line is your enemy that has to be eradicated at all costs? "

"But he saved my life—! "

"He does not expect you to do the same. "

"But that's so unfair! "

Hinata's face was flushed again, but it was not for embarrassment or mortification as it usually was. Kakashi's widened eyes thought for a fleeting second, that they had seen the ghost of Nara Shizuka in the girl's glowing empowered face. The only difference was, Shizuka knew what Hinata still was in denial of.

He finally sat down with a simple smile.

"Life is unfair. "

Lesson one.

* * *

**(Konoha High- Student Council room)**

Naruto slapped his palms down and gave a whoop. Shino were a bit more sedate, holding one of their hands up in greeting. Sai wondered aloud if the occasion called for the eating of cake of a celebratory nature. Shikamaru stood far back with a slightly amused and hassled look on his face while Temari and Kankuro hugged their little brother.

"I can't believe you're back! This is great—aren't you psyched to be back? "

Gaara did not react much; he merely nodded at Naruto's loud hearty welcome, and limped back to the back of the room towards Shikamaru. The room fell quiet as Gaara eyed up at his future brother in law, whose lips were curling as his eyes narrowed. Shikamaru opened his mouth but then closed it promptly, triggering Gaara to comment slyly:

"What—no word of welcome from you? "

"You will be the death of me Gaara. Fuck you. But welcome back. "

Temari rolled her eyes but smiled at her fiancée while he led her little brother to one of the unoccupied chairs, rolling one towards him with his shadows. Sai wondered aloud how the dome keeper had gotten his way without notifying Shikamaru or Temari, but was quieted by Shino's jabbing knuckle. Naruto feigned ignorance as he continued smiling. Gaara propped his crutches against the table and looked up at the rest of the room.

He spoke frankly without a prelude:

"I want a position in the council. "

Temari looked at Shikamaru, who sat down without a smile.

"That can be arranged."

"No. Wipe that. What I really want is—"

Gaara turned to face Kankuro, Temari, and then finally rested his eyes on Shikamaru.

"I want to be in the watcher team again. "

Naruto blinked and then gestured to Sai and Shino—they might have to walk out. It seemed this was private matter. This was neutral matter. Shikamaru opened the door for them to leave, locking it with his shadows as soon as their heels left the room. The lock slid into place and Shikamaru flashed Gaara a smile.

"Why is that? We gave you a choice, and you made it clear that you sure as hell didn't want to be a part of this."

"I didn't before. "

"Why now? Things are a tad bit more messed up than it had been before. "

Shikamaru gently ran his fingers over Gaara's crutches, and felt Temari tense up behind him. Gaara himself did not react, his cold eyes choosing instead to eye the exhausted watcher before him. Kankuro stood nearby the door, unsure of the sudden change in the mood.

"Don't you think you need a period to adjust? "

"I'll adjust as I go along. But I'd like to get back on the team. "

Shikamaru's eyes flickered close, and while Temari wanted full heartedly to support her little brother's decision, she could not help but wonder—bad timing. Shikamaru was still in a weakened state. She spied him with the corner of her eyes, and saw the accumulated weight of all his burden apparent on his face. With a resigned sigh, the watcher slammed down into a chair.

"…did you get the elder's consent? "

"Not all of them. It's not truly official.

Gaara slyly cast his eyes downward. Particles of sand danced under his crossed fingers.

"But I bet you can help me make it official. "

* * *

**(Uchiha Mansion)**

"Itachi seems have given up on Sasuke, no? "

The lithe woman curled her lips and sipped her tea, while a petite Miharu stood by her side, nibbling her lips. Kiba groaned inwards and shook his head. Uchiha Nahoko had randomly summoned him and to add insult to injury, had made Miharu fetch him. Refusing to meet the Uchiha's eyes, he grumbled to the ground instead:

"How would I know? He's your kin."

"But Sasuke's your …best friend, is he not? "

She knew. That bitch knew that it's been weeks since he actually hung out with Sasuke. Nahoko was just enjoying mentally tormenting him just for the sake of it. To prove her point, she smiled widely and traced her lips with her meticulously manicured fingers. Disgusted, Kiba looked away.

"He's his own fucking person. How do I know what's he's up to nowadays?"

"A little bird told me there's something up with the Inuzukas lately, regarding Sasuke and well, what used to be my little pet. I swear if it had gone the way it should've been, there'd be two bodies ready for cremation down at the crematory. But maybe it's for the best—life would be boring without those two alive now, won't it?"

She snickered at her own malice, and again, Kiba was struck by how ugly her beauty was rendered by her madness.

"You mean Shikamaru. And no, nothing's up. "

Nahoko's eyes flashed and she burst into motion, materializing in front of his eyes. She was quite tall, and nearly stood as tall as he did, her blood red eyes sparkling. A clear crack ran down the body of the glass cup she held.

"You honestly think you can get away with lying to a superior. You're an idiot for it. Your thick skull can't seem to register the fact that Sasuke is not the only superior around here. Actually he doesn't even qualify as one anymore, seeing as he's joined himself in body and heart with a goddamn Hyuuga. "

"Body and heart—?!"

Kiba cut in bitterly, and Nahoko tittered at his violent reaction.

"Well we wouldn't know, since we're 'only' his sister and his best friend, aren't we? It's kind of easy to see where his loyalties lie—"

She slammed the cup she's been sipping from down on the table to prove her point, and the glass cracked. Both Miharu and the coaster jumped. Kiba did not react, but stared straight ahead, his lime eyes the only indication that he was suddenly furious.

"Personally, I don't care if he's fucked that fake Hyuuga naiveté girl. Nobody cares really, not unless he gets her preg—"

"Where the hell are you going with this—?!"

Kiba interjected again, an ugly shiver running down his body. Nahoko looked positively delighted at his reaction.

"Here's something you might want to remember, Kiba, and don't forget it, because I rarely try to help. "

Her slim fingers cupped his face, and jerked it so he properly faced her.

"You should ditch that act of a loyal friend—I already know you testified against him in court. So you can cut the crap and actually start using your brain. Work for your line before you pledge allegiance to something you can't even stay loyal too. "

"I am working for my line; why do you think I testified against—"

She slapped him swiftly—once—and then slid her hand over his mouth.

"No. I see through that. You still can't get over Sasuke, but you still testified against him for the guilt. And it is your goddamn cumbersome guilt that again, makes you moon over my little brother. If I hadn't known better, I'd have thought you in love with him. Or something. "

Kiba openly snarled now, and thrust Nahoko's hand from his face. She pushed back, her arms drawing back and slamming them into his chest. He whipped back before she could do much harm and swung his right leg at her. Before it crashed into her, he stopped. He could not bring himself to deliver a full kick to a girl. Even if it was this crazy bitch. He stopped and pushed her onto the floor instead.

A scornful smile spread on Nahoko's face as she stood up, her contempt for him unmasked.

"Grow a fucking backbone Kiba. I know you didn't stop because I'm an Uchiha. You stopped because I'm a girl."

She spat on the floor giggling, her eyes furious.

"You should not have been the selected. "

He rushed down the hallway, a bitter taste in his mouth. It was enough that there was no place for him to feel at ease no more—it was only by habit that he had graced the doors of the Uchiha mansion. Sasuke was not Sasuke anymore. He had no place in here.

"Wait—Kiba! "

The pipsqueak voice irritated him even more, and he did not look back. For some reason, she was not calling him "dog" anymore.

"I have something to say—stop for a second, will you?! "

He stopped and glared, humoring Uchiha Miharu with an acidic smile.

"What would that be? "

"I don't like it. "

"Don't like what? Actually—I don't give a shit. "

He stomped down the musty hallway and began to flit, but stopped when he realized Miharu was clutching the back of his shirt and clinging on. Incensed, he whipped back and nearly swiped at her, but stopped himself when he realized she was near tears. Kiba loathed himself for weakening at the sight of tears, but he could not help himself. He bet he would weaken at everyone's teary eyes. Perhaps Nahoko was right. He was weak.

"…What the hell do you want now? It there's something you want, why the hell are you asking me of all people? "

He angrily jerked Miharu's small hand from his shirt and stood apart, but did not leave right away.

"Did you give up on ni-san too? "

"What—?"

"Don't you see why she's been calling on you? She's had her fun with ni-san and the watcher. She's now fixated on you. "

"I don't care. And why should you care? You want Nahoko to turn her wrath on Sasuke again? What kind of a sick thought is that? "

"I don't want people to give up on ni-san! "

Incredulous, Kiba snorted despite himself. Miharu turned her face sideways. From what he'd seen, Miharu was a Nahoko training-to-be. She used to follow around that crazy bitch like an adoring fan from time to time.

"I know I dislike Sakura..but at least she vouched for ni-san all the time. No one's left anymore. If even you turn away, he has nobody.

"Seems like he has you. Though I still feel like you're bullshitting with me a little. "

Kiba crossed his arms.

"Why the caring act all of a sudden? Is this a joke?"

Miharu shook her head violently, her pigtails flying.

"Everything's changing too fast."

* * *

**(Hatake Residence)**

"I probably know more about you, Hinata, than you know about yourself. "

Hinata acknowledged this comment by swallowing nervously. Kakashi did not seem to be toying around, but his tone was light considering what he was implying.

"But some information I am not allowed to divulge. "

"That's…not fai- "

She quickly swallowed the rest of her word with a solemn face and continued with a new line of thought:

"But life is...not fair. "

He nodded at her comeback. At least she learned fast.

"What you need to know, is that even with powers, you're still an anomaly in Konoha. As you already would've noticed, many have different powers. But there is no one in the village now, apart from you, who can move through Shikamaru's shadows. There has not been many cases where another family could penetrate the Nara shadows. It's near impossible a notion. "

Kakashi placed his large hands softly palm-down on the table.

"This proves to be a problem. "

Hinata blinked because all she was hearing was that she was still a stick in the mud despite all the progress she thought she'd made in assimilating herself into the village.

"A watcher needs to be capable of restraining anyone, at least for a short period of time. Of course—Shikamaru would be able to overpower you in battle, there's no doubt in that—but what everyone is concerned about, is the power itself. The gene. That's one of the most important things at the moment, but I'm willing to bet no one has told you that so far. "

He restrained himself from divulging more than necessary: Hinata probably had no idea how important genes were in this village, of how big a consequence her genes could bring. He knew best- his clan was wiped out thanks to the village's obsession with gene manipulation.

"Professor, then what should I do? ... I thought...I thought you were going to teach me how to become useful. "

"That, I am going to do. But before that, there is something I cannot emphasize enough. "

He locked his steely eyes with the girl's widened pupils.

"You cannot ever, marry, or have children- if you want to live here, or escape alive. "

* * *

**(Haruno Residence)**

She could not believe her eyes but it was really him.

Sasuke was actually standing next to the doorway with a grave look on his familiar face, looking up at the windows. Sakura rushed to the windowpane and pushed her palms against the grimy glass. Tears nearly fell but did not, she was so completely reassured in that instance. Nevermind that she'd been locked up for days in that tiny box of a room: Sasuke was back.

"Come up! I'm here- come up! "

Sasuke should have heard her, but he lowered his head and moved towards the door, which was odd for him since he preferred blitzing up the walls. He paused before presenting himself to the Haruno elders, and they grudgingly let him in despite his pariah status. What could be done? He was still a Uchiha and still the selected. It only should have taken seconds for him to reach Sakura's room but he took his time.

Lee saw him as he walked up the stairs, and he immediately froze up. This could not be good. He did not know why, and had no reason to think so, but this could not be good at all. It was just a feeling. Sasuke was back, it has been a few months, and this could only be bad. He knew he shouldn't but he followed his sister's fiancee up the stairs into the room Sakura was nearly imprisoned in. Sasuke noticed but did not acknowledge the boy.

"Sasuke! I can't believe you're standing here- again! "

Sakura beamed at him from the floor, her pretty but somewhat gaunt face shining up at him, and Sasuke felt something akin to guilt for the first time.

"Sakura. "

"I can't believe they just let you out, they're just keeping me cooped up inside here like I'm some- "

"Sakura, I want to break off the engagement. "

Outside the room, Lee rammed his fist into his neck.

And silence ensued.

* * *

(BLsugs' words on WNSS:)

I'm so sorry I'm always so late. hasn't been allowing me to login or do anything for quite a while..

But luckily I was able to login today =)

I wanted this chapter to be longer, but I..honestly did not have the time with all my exams... so that's my feeble pathetic excuse.

It's good to be back though. Thank you whoever is still reading this

Bear with me.)


	37. Deviation

"_**The **__**White Nights**__** describes the few weeks around the summer solstice during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. The sun does not set until late at night, and twilight lasts much longer."**_

* * *

"…but you can't. You CAN'T! "

Sakura stood up immediately, her green eyes ablaze with horror and sudden defiance. She snatched up the hand mirror that had been on her lap and smashed it into smithereens as she stood facing Sasuke, her stricken face probing his expression, seeking out his place in heart. It was the one she had often used to preen herself at school.

"The elders would kill you for this—are you nuts?! "

Her vehemence did not surprise him in the least bit, but it did leave a mark. They never really got along, and no matter what the elders had in mind, he never thought they were meant for each other. But he knew there were moments when he had tricked himself into thinking so. He opened his mouth, closed it, frowned, and then opened it again.

"If they didn't kill me for betraying my kin and almost killing the current watcher, they're not going to kill me for this. "

Sakura bristled at this and let out a haughty laughter, shaking her head, reminiscent of those days when she used to taunt him for being weak and idealistic.

"You don't think they will? Killing you is definitely not the worst thing they can do: you know how things are here, or was that all just brainwashed out of you after meeting that naiveté? You underestimate them—"

"So what are you suggesting I do? "

She clamped her mouth shut at his passive tone. She had expected him to retaliate at least a little. He wasn't budging, and it was draining her. She bit down on her lips and slammed the sole of her feet onto the floor.

"I don't know…How should I know? How the hell am I supposed to know? All I know right now is that you can't decide this one your own—cuz you're nothing here! We're all nothing here, how come you forgot that? Is she really that special that you've forgotten your entire life? Things were so much simpler when she wasn't here!"

Sasuke eyed the whole scene, the broken glasses and his fiancée's morbid state. He felt uneasiness akin to anger. He desperately wished this could be just a normal breakup between two teenagers—so he could walk out knowing she would get over it someday. He was calmer when he spoke again.

"Sakura. I think you're the happiest when I'm down and low. "

She flinched.

"That's not true—how could you accuse me of that? "

Sakura wrestled out her words defiantly, still wishing she could kid herself to not believe. She added on a hoarse whisper, clawing at the hem of her skirt.

"Why are you doing this…? "

The first day they had met, she had kicked sand on him.

She had been appointed from the beginning as the Haruno selected-to-be, and had been a cocky beautiful child. That cocky beautiful child was pissed off to have been paired off with a kid who was considered to be the runt of the litter, a weakling. Sasuke's insanity, or borrowing the Uchiha elder's words— that touch of madness—was somewhat spoken in shushed tones, so the intent of this engagement wasn't apparent at the time. Sakura did not understand why she, who was considered at least one of the more gifted children then, was paired off with a loser, someone with no higher prospects.

Things changed immensely during their union together, but those first few years had been a chore. It had taken quite a while for the two to get used to each other.

"Sasuke— I'm sorry. "

Sakura dropped her head.

"I never meant to say…what I said before. When we were young. "

Sasuke thought about it for a second, but he did not have to ponder long to remember what she was alluding to.

_'You're better off dead.'_

She had been a straightforward kid. Perhaps that is the dominant quality of a young child, but she never controlled herself to say what the others wanted her to say. He respected that. There had been times recently when he wanted to just challenge her, force her to tell him what an asshole she thought he was. Because that was just the truth.

He spoke quietly.

"I think I actually liked you better then. "

Hearing this, she let out a laugh that was swallowed up by her tears. She shook her head, wondering if they'd been going about this the wrong way. They had years together, they have had middle school and elementary school. They could have been happier.

Sunlight pooled on the mess on the floor.

"—you know what…? "

Her eyes brimming, Sakura offered her former fiancée this sentiment:

"I think… I liked you better then too. "

* * *

**White Nights: Summer Solstice**

**Chapter 5- Beauty of Oblivion**

**(Session#4– Deviation)**

* * *

**(Konoha High- Hyuuga sector)**

Neji threw the empty can of coke over his shoulders, not checking if it landed on its mark. The can slipped into the wastebasket with a soft clang, and somebody whistled casually. He would have normally turned around and thrown the whistler a good-natured grin, but did not bother today. He did not feel good-natured nowadays. He did not feel like make small talk anymore. He walked on without looking back.

"Your fans will be disappointed. "

The Hyuuga selected stopped at the dull somewhat taunting voice, and turned around to find a presence he did not expect to see.

"What are you doing at school..? "

"I'm still young enough for school I assume. "

Gaara shrugged best he could with crutches under his arms. He was awkwardly dressed in school uniform, and even had a backpack slung on his shoulders. Neji thought he was mistaken, but the dome keeper boy even had a student council badge tacked to his breast pocket. He immediately thought of pranks, but this was Gaara, not Naruto. If this was a joke, it was a pretty well constructed one.

"You're in the council? "

Gaara smiled thinly, his icy blue eyes looking past Neji.

"I thought you'd have known by now. I hear you've been too busy to grace us with your presence lately, Neji. Something wrong? "

The Hyuuga selected tensed up. He wanted to shout—you know what I've been through—yet he couldn't. He didn't. Gaara acknowledged the Hyuuga selected's reluctance with a slow nod. He smiled thinly as if to offer condolence.

"How did you cope with the information…I gave you? Mind rattling, isn't it. "

Gaara seemed to be dangling something in front of him, but Neji could not place what. They should not be having this conversation at school—it was dangerous. Neji smiled grimly as a flock of freshmen boys cavorted by, changing his expression as soon as they passed. He shifted his stance and straightened his back so that he towered over the Subaku boy.

"I don't care for this talk. Don't even know why you're bringing it up. But if you're looking for some direct answers, here's my take on it: there is nothing we can do. If I wanted to change something, someone in our line will get hurt no matter how I thought it over. I choose to ignore whatever you've offered me. "

Gaara's expression flickered and changed grotesquely.

"Ignorance is bliss, no? I bet you thought so after you learnt the truth about Hizaki. "

Neji reminded himself again that this was school, and that a selected simply could not whale out on a neutral—except that Gaara was deliberately egging him on. He turned in that instant and went the opposite direction, ignoring the slow taps Gaara's crutches made against the tiles.

"I'm not trying to pick a fight, despite what I said. I don't fight losing battles. "

Neji replied with his hand thrown back, his middle finger pointed upwards. Gaara smirked.

"Aren't you pissed off Neji, that despite everything, Uchiha Sasuke is still walking about alive and well, with your cousin sister by his side to boot? "

That stopped him. Neji stiffly turned and jerked his head. Hinata was a sore subject. Yurie and Ryuha knew not to aggravate him too much about her. He had meant well, done everything right—and still came out the loser. It physically pained him to see Hizaki's murderer walking around with his cousin sister in tow.

"Don't you wish you could do something about it? Out there, in the world, they say a man receives proper punishment for his crimes. Here, it depends on who you are. I guess if you're gifted…like Uchiha Sasuke, you can get away with murder—twice. "

Neji cringed at the blatant words. Despite it all, he still felt the need to keep to the rules.

"That kind of talk isn't neutral talk. You're going over the top here. If anyone from the Uchiha line heard what you just said, they could accuse you of taking sides—you know what happens then. "

Gaara knew more than Neji about what could ensue. He'd overheard the whole Hatake incident when he was a mere kid. Besides, he even had his own cross to bear. The crutches made an unpleasant noise against the floor as Gaara dragged it in front of the Hyuuga selected as if to say "duh."

"You've done your scanning—there no one around in hearing distance. Neji, I'm offering alliance. You should take it. It's a good offer. "

Neji grimaced. He didn't know if Gaara was joking. His tone was lighthearted for him, but it was hard to tell with Gaara.

"…Shikamaru would kill you. "

"No he wouldn't. That would kill my sister. Which would kill him. "

The dark shadows beneath the boy's face seemed rather sinister to Neji. It was odd. Gaara had been out of the bigger picture for so long, Neji could not remember if the kid had always been this way. Or did he change somewhat? He's spent times with Temari and he was nearly friends with Kankuro—but this kid was different.

Gaara eyed the clock up on the wall. It was nearly noon, which meant the hallways would be filled with hungry teenagers soon. Neji was mildly reeling by this time, unable to process this sudden change within the dome keeper's mind. He felt he should run directly to Temari and inform her of her little brother's dance with the devil, but another part of him tugged harder—whispering into his ears to stand by for a while and see what ensues. Gaara seemed to notice the inner turmoil of the Hyuuga selected, and limped closer. When he came within an arm's length of Neji, he looked up and enunciated each words slowly:

"There cannot be change without sacrifice. "

Neji looked down and shot back uneasily:

"You're not one to decide. "

"That can change. "

Gaara looked down at his mangled leg, and a slow smile spread across his face. The smile did not reach his eyes.

"Why, do you think I came back? "

* * *

**(Konoha High School- Balcony) **

Sasuke nearly crushed her hand, his face stony.

"He said what? "

"I—don't know what he meant really, he might've been, just using metaphors…?"

Hinata attempted to pry her hand away but he seemed oblivious to her efforts, just momentarily blinded by fury. If someone had been nearby, he or she might've told Sasuke to mind, but their current status as pariahs allowed them some degree of freedom that they both never had before.

The balcony was abandoned, which was odd. There were always people who hung about there, usually the Inuzukas or sometimes Sakura. Sasuke himself recalled lazing away afternoons with Kiba, scaring away the freshmen when they ventured out. Their combined efforts had made this area a danger zone for anyone who did not have permission or a selected status, and therefore, it was only occupied by a select few. Those select few had usually graced this place at least several times a day—but no more. Sakura was still locked up in the Haruno residence. Kiba never showed up in his old hangabouts anymore, which means the rest of the maroon headed pack had also moved on to new places. Miharu kept her distance. They were so alone in a place that was crawling with people.

Sasuke finally let Hinata's hand go when he noticed her palm going white from her efforts to loosen her hand.

"Kakashi is not an idiot. He doesn't mince words either. "

He seemed to be reminding himself more than Hinata. His coal black eyes were glazed, rushing through and seeing things Hinata did not know of. She could only wait for the moment to pass.

"I don't care. "

Sasuke blurted out decisively, his hand grabbing hers. She shot up at the sudden gesture.

"W…what? "

"Do you? "

He bent down; his lips grazing her forehead as she shyly clasped his hand.

But unlike what she expected he did not gently kiss her this time. His body pressed against hers and the unexpected pressure made her lean back. His hair tickled her cheek, but she did not dare move. And a small grain of fear entered her conscience.

These past few weeks, she had gotten to know more about the Uhicha selected than she had bargained for. Mostly she was happy, but she now also knew how he loved to resist. Ever since he'd found Hinata, he seemed to go more and more out of his way to deviate from his pack. Ever since the trials, ever since he came out alive on the other side, he seemed to feel a tad bit invincible—or he did not just care any longer. That scared her.

"Sasuke—I… "

Her words were swallowed. His hand slipped behind her back and pushed her further into his torso. She could hear him breathe. His hand on her back was cold but his body warm and she was momentarily lost in time, her mind at a standstill. Sasuke's hand dug further up, his head burrowing deeper, and panic flooded in. Her face smashed against the shoulder of his bent body, Hinata managed to squeak out her views on this sudden physical intimacy:

"I don't want to be doing this—"

He paused.

"—just so that you could get back at them…! "

His hand released her back and he stared at her for a while with his dark eyes, then leaned back against the grimy wall. He swore at himself.

With his left arm, Sasuke shaded his face from the sun, swallowing more profanity that was threatening to escape his mouth. His right hand was still clasping her hand. A bird was cawing obnoxiously, quite oblivious to the whole drama.

"You're right. I'm sorry. "

She blushed yet again, content with his reaction. A moment passed, with them just sitting and holding hands. Sasuke seemed to be seething quietly at himself and Hinata gently nudged him to break him from his inwards rant.

"Sasuke…?"

He murmured something.

"Did you ever—….with…? "

He gave her a blank impassive look until he realized what she was getting at.

"You mean with Sakura. "

That shocked him out of his temper. They both had the image of the strawberry blonde briefly in their heads. With different reasons, they both waved away the image, wincing. It was too early for them both to be thinking about the Haruno selected.

Sasuke meant to answer easily enough, until he saw Hinata's face. She seemed so feverishly afraid of his answer. He did not understand for a second.

As children of Konoha, kids were much lenient with matters of physical relationships—as long as it was with partners set up by the elders. They encouraged fornication of sorts. He did not comprehend that she might not comprehend, that things were quite different outside. He recalled his former fiancée's body and the times he had seen it bare, and grimaced as if Hinata could see into his head.

"Would it change anything if I answered whichever? "

She did not answer right away. His low voice was such a telltale sign. Sasuke watched her raven head bent silently, and heaved himself up. He was nearly ready for the usual rants girls always went off on—he just did not expect Hinata to have—

"I know I won't be able to…understand as well as she did—"

He nearly spluttered at her words and sat right back down.

"—because I still don't know much."

She looked up into his face with a troubled expression.

"I know I might…not be able to compete. "

"Compete? "

He scowled.

"With Sakura you mean?"

She nodded timidly.

"And…since I'm not a naiveté anymore. "

Flabbergasted as he was, he did not swear or call her an idiot as he might have to others. He just sat there, stunned. She interpreted his silence as anger and turned taciturn herself, her head a burning toiling mess for having brought the subject up. This time, however, it was she who spoke up first:

"If you're not…too angry, I—"

"I'm not. "—he angrily informed her.

"I still think I can make you happy. "

He checked his anger this time.

Sasuke could not believe Hinata still was comparing herself to Sakura. She did not seem to realize that in his eyes, it was she who had gotten the raw end of the deal, not vice versa. Letting go of her hand, he shifted his position so that he sat kneeling directly in front of her, blocking the sun. His profile was thrown in shadow and all Hinata could see was Sasuke's blacker than black eyes, stark and still like a pool of well water.

Bending over slightly so that they were at the same eye level, Sasuke cupped Hinata's face with his palm, gently rubbing then giving her forehead a small knock with his knuckles.

He offered her a rather trite but honest compliment.

"You're the nicest person I know. "

* * *

**(Konoha High Senior Building)**

Naruto rushed down the stairs, skipping the steps four at a time to compensate for the "no flitting on school grounds" rule. He scanned as he ran, and soon enough found the person he meant to find. He raised his arms.

"Ryuha! "

"Hey, kid? –Whatcha doing without Sai? "

Ryuha waved him over with a plastic cup of soda, an uneaten sandwich tossed on the whitewashed table. Amano was not present at the moment, and Ryuha sat with Yurie and another senior Hyuuga girl, the three of them sitting on a bench. Yurie smiled benevolently while the other girl eyed the panting Uzumaki selected curiously.

"Never mind Sai! You got to talk to Neji—I swear, this is bad! Kakashi's been around, and he said Neji's been missing too many classes…he ain't even hiding it, so it just looks bad. Now that Gaara's back, what if he gets kicked off from the council? Shika sort of talked it over with Kakashi sensei, but still, it's—"

"Woah wait. What? Who's back? "

Ryuha stood up, his eyebrows at odds with one another. Yurie cocked her head and signaled for the Hyuuga girl to leave them for now. This was the sort of news not everyone needed to know, at least not right away.

"Gaara. Didn't you guys hear yet? "

Naruto eyed the both of them blandly, and threw his hands up in the air.

"Nah—never mind, what's more important right now is Neji. Please Ryuha—he listens to you most. Yurie, you too! "

"Wait, wait. Do the Inuzukas know Gaara is back? How the hell did this happen without being announced properly? "

Gaara's accident was a touchy subject for both lines. It shed light on how precarious the role of a neutral could be in Konoha. The Inuzukas were convinced Gaara now bore special revulsion towards their kin, and often claimed the youngest of the Subaku family selecteds was biased, not neutral. Ryuha knew this. He also knew certain expectations that were put on neutrals before they could be elected as a selected: it did not make sense how quickly Gaara had regained his position.

"If this was put to vote, the Uchiha line would have bitched. What happened? How did it happen without any of us hearing of it? "

Naruto paused and racked his brain. All he remembered was Temari's pained face and Shikamaru's sigh. He had been too busy cheering and chucking paper confetti at Gaara to suss out what was what. It was not that he was too thick to pick up on those subtleties—he just chose not to, like his uncle advised him. It made life easier.

"You know what? I bet Neji would know better than I do. C'mon, would you talk to him for me? "

Ryuha exchanged uneasy looks with Yurie, both knowing how distant the Hyuuga selected was from their household at the moment. Neji left early and did not return until late in the evening. He did not make casual talk as he used to with the naivetés. Most of all, he did not speak to Hinata.

"I'll…think about it. "

Naruto plopped down on the windowsill as he scratched the back of his head, mission accomplished. Ryuha turned to Yurie to discuss how he'd approach his distant cousin brother but she was not even paying attention. Her eyes were fixed on the scene unfolding outside the window, on the school fields.

"Isn't that…?"

Yurie trailed off, her smooth forehead creasing. Both Ryuha and Naruto turned to look beyond the windows, across to the grass field where a familiar but foreign figure was striding on with an entourage.

"What is he doing here? "

Ryuha eyed Uchiha Itachi with distaste and pried Naruto, who was gaping at the sight from the window. The former Uchiha selected still noticed them despite the distance and dim lighting, but he moved on without further recognition. Students on the field turned to watch him go, quizzical.

"Is this a reunion thing or what? Looks like everyone who left school for good is coming back."

Ryuha made a face at Naruto's off comment.

"That would make a lot of people's lives miserable I reckon. "

"He looks pissed off. "

They saw the small group of Uchihas move across school grounds towards the sophomore building. Naruto inched away from the window and Ryuha stood up and sat down again. Yurie questioned aloud:

"D'you think we should alert Shikamaru?"

"Don't think this one's for me. "

The watcher's sudden presence made the three of them jump.

Yurie quickly turned to conceal her expression. His face a blank slate, Shikamaru stood behind the table with his arms loosely crossed, observing the whole scene. It was odd to see him catch interest in affairs not addressed directly to him. He normally waited till responsibility was forced upon him, but now he was up and about even though rumor had it he wasn't fully healed yet. Temari was in class, but her presence still lingered—a wisp of her hair lay on a crease of his shirt. Ryuha quickly stepped in and removed the hair, pretending it was flint. Yurie turned away.

"How come you think so? "

Naruto piped up, pretending ignorance at the awkward moment. Without answering right away, Shikamaru leaned forward and spread his hands on the table, his eyes still locked on the former Uchiha selected.

"Itachi never comes unannounced. He likes things official."

Ryuha frowned at this. He turned to face the watcher.

"Why would he bother coming to school if not to see you? He can always see his kind at home—he just summons them I heard. And he's not stupid enough to meddle with our line on campus. It doesn't make sense. "

"…"

Silence ensued and Ryuha moved on. Shikamaru was not allowed to divulge certain information, and most of them knew to not press him at times like this. Yurie drummed her nails on the base of her seat while her eyes sought out the watcher under her veil of hair. Naruto turned back and forth, while Ryuha unwrapped his sandwich and bit into it. By the time Shikamaru stirred, Itachi was long gone from vision.

Shikamaru pushed himself from the table. His expression did not change as he moved slowly towards the main doors, leaving Ryuha, Naruto and Yurie behind.

When he also disappeared from view, Ryuha stood up, chucking the half eaten sandwich at the garbage can.

"Let's go find Neji. "

* * *

**(Konoha High- Teacher's Lounge)**

The teacher's lounge was nearly abandoned, as it was nearing 4. Kakashi sat organizing files on an empty couch, checking his schedule to see when he would next meet Hinata for their "lessons."

"How's life? "

He offered that as a greeting to the figure that had materialized behind him.

Shikamaru half-smiled as he stood next to the couch. Kakashi eyed him over casually without turning his head.

Years ago, Shikamaru had been much shorter and wiry, a small intense mass of anger and righteous indignation. He naturally loathed everyone with the exception of Temari and her brothers, and did not refrain from mentioning he was only compliant to Kakashi because Shizuka had asked him to do so before her death.

Such an arrogant insolent angry boy. Poor kid.

Kakashi knew the boy to be talented, even before all that Shizuka fiasco materialized before them. But it was a skewed sort of talent, one that needed a rein. All that smart, that power, could inevitably make or break the boy depending on how he used it. He must have done something right, he felt—Shikamaru was still alive. He hoped to work the same magic with Hinata—to keep her alive.

Shikamaru bent his head lightly and informed his former teacher:

"Itachi is here. "

That was all he had to say. Kakashi looked up at the watcher and set aside his papers.

"And you are not with him, why? "

"I doubt he's here to see me. I need advice. "

"You need advice? "

Kakashi felt that same twinge of amusement he had felt with Sasuke before, as if a cow had come up to him asking for milk.

"I thought you would have been glad to avoid Itachi. "

"You know me so well, professor. "

There was a tone of sarcasm embedded in their exchange. Kakashi gestured for the boy to sit down, and Shikamaru obliged, where before he would have just ignored the offer. He was still weak from injury and he knew it—it was all it took for him to go about his duties the way he had before. Kakashi knew this.

"You need advice, why? "

"I feel things are just gonna get worse from here. This whole Hinata deal is not over. There's no way the elders would let something like this slide. "

Shikamaru paused and then raised his hand to brush against that spot near his shoulder that still bore a scar.

"When things get bad, I'd probably have to be a part of it, no matter who instigates what. "

"That sums up the role of a watcher, yes. "

Shikamaru sat collecting his thoughts. They both knew the more time they spent talking frivolities—if this could be seen as frivolous—the Itachi situation might gain even more momentum. As a watcher, and a former watcher, they felt the need to speed things up.

"…if something like this—"

Shikamaru tapped lightly his wound.

"—happens again, I don't plan on dying. I want to be prepared for anything. You have more experience being a watcher than I do. It's obvious I should come looking for advice from you."

"I did not know you planned on dying before. "

Shikamaru palmed the back of his head, grumbling under his breath. He was physically and mentally, tired of this conversation already. But Kakashi did not put up with quitters. Besides, they both had gone through the same routine of mopping up after messes that other people had made. It made no sense for Shikamaru to cover up what he really was worried about. He did not bother with being riled up.

"If I die, Temari will have to be the next watcher. "

He straightened his back.

"That, I can't tolerate. "

* * *

**(BLsugs's words on WNSS)**

I keep dwelling on other plots as well. But I did want to show it all.

For example, Sakura. There is a long past between Sakura and Sasuke before Hinata actually came into scene, and it seems unlikely Sasuke is ignorant or forgetful of that history. He's just not breaking it off like some random guy who finds a better girl and ditches his gf. There was a history, but now it's time to move on.

But on the plus side…I updated superfast! (...considering….past updates) hahaha…..

Just noticed I first began writing this story in 2008. Wow. It's 2013 now. Unbelievable.

By the way, I found the perfect OST for Shikamaru : The proof of your love

Bear with me. =)


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